Between 2003 and 2013, 1,189 oil and gas workers in the US lost their lives on the job—a 27.6% increase in fatalities over the decade. Despite a 36.3% drop in the industry’s fatality rate, the total number of deaths rose as the workforce grew.
These statistics are no surprise, given the unique hazards oil and gas workers face. These include remote and isolated worksites, confined spaces, high-pressure equipment, and potential exposure to toxic gases and flammable substances.
The human cost of workplace incidents can be devastating, with injuries, fatalities, and long-term health impacts affecting workers and their families. Beyond the personal toll, they also carry significant financial and reputational consequences, including downtime, legal liability, and difficulty retaining skilled workers in a high-risk industry.
The traditional approach to workplace safety in oil and gas was primarily reactive. Employers focused on responding to incidents after they occurred—managing injuries, mitigating damage, and only addressing potential hazards post-incident. While critical in terms of emergency response, such reactive measures are, by definition, too late to prevent harm.
In recent years, the oil and gas industry has shifted toward more proactive safety efforts, a shift driven by the human and financial costs of workplace incidents and increasingly stringent regulatory requirements. These proactive measures include identifying risks/hazards, monitoring high-risk activities, and designing safer workflows.
New connected technologies, such as the industrial Internet of things, can provide real-time insights and enable faster responses to keep workers safe in high-risk environments. These systems provide real-time access to data from wearable devices, gas detectors, and other connected tools, while enabling two-way communication during emergencies. A study by the National Safety Council revealed that 70% of workplace injuries could potentially be avoided through effective real-time monitoring systems.
By bridging proactive hazard prevention with reactive emergency management, real-time monitoring represents a critical advancement for the oil and gas industry. It equips organizations with the tools to identify hazards in real time, mitigate risks before they escalate, and ensure faster, more accurate response when an incident occurs.
This dual benefit creates a safer working environment for oil and gas workers and helps companies maintain operational continuity under high-risk conditions.