Safety
Members of the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers reported 32 fatalities and a 26% jump in hours worked in 2024, which lowered the rate by 0.03 per million hours worked.
Unlike traditional inspection methods, distributed fiber-optic sensing offers continuous, real-time monitoring capabilities, allowing for early detection and response to potential leaks, which is especially crucial in remote or inaccessible locations.
Technical safety standards are essential as global offshore exploration heats up.
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Obstetrics are disappearing from rural counties across America, but not in the oil patch. In McKenzie County, North Dakota, Whiting Oil and Gas has donated to build a new wing of the McKenzie County Health Care Center devoted to labor and delivery.
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Members of the workforce, especially those in industries that require manual labor, are becoming increasingly concerned about injury and fatality while on the job.
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The criticality of above-water riser hull piping requires frequent inspections. Traditional manual inspection methods present safety and efficiency concerns, but work is being done to see if robotic technologies—such as drones and crawlers—can do the job as good as, or even better than, humans.
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As drones become a more significant part of energy projects, the guide outlines the steps operators should take in assessing their capabilities to run a drone program and the elements such programs should consider, including safety and regulatory concerns.
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The American Petroleum Institute announced the publication of its Guide for Developing an Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program, which will help ensure worker and operational safety as the industry introduces drones in its operations.
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Some environmentalists and community activists have demanded the commission stop issuing permits until the new rules are complete.
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Aberdeen’s Opex Group and an industrial behavioral psychologist are designing a tool that will combine data from diagnostic surveys with historical data on oil and gas accidents and spills.
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Buildings that are manned or house critical equipment ideally will be a safe distance from potential explosions. Maintaining the required stand-off distance, however, is not always possible. This paper discusses challenges and best practices for blast protection of plant buildings.
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The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has developed an evidence-based method that uses the criteria of "burden," "need," and "impact" to identify research priorities.
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Digitalization and new technologies are disrupting old practices and shaping a new safety landscape for the oil and gas industry. At OTC, a panel sponsored by the Center for Offshore Safety looked at the effects of some of these new technology trends.