Health and safety are paramount at oil and gas drilling sites. Rigorous measures help avoid accidents, improve performance, and enhance worker satisfaction. Whatever your role is and whatever level you work at, it’s imperative you keep abreast of the latest health and safety measures and how they affect your working practices. This article summarizes some of the most important ones to consider.
Keep in touch with emergency response services
In case of emergencies, the health and safety manager must know how to contact emergency response services. As an individual worker, you should also consider having this information readily available on your person. The more quickly these services can arrive, the more likely it is that they can save lives and limit injuries.
Keep talking to your workforce
According to a study by Safe Work Australia, 38% of all fatalities were due to the worker being alone. Hence, it’s important for everyone to have a co-worker they can communicate with and who can keep an eye out for them while they work. Establish a buddy system between your employees so that each of them will feel comfortable communicating with one another.
Make sure that you brief your workers regularly and maintain a two-way dialogue. This is important for transmitting important information and keeping them up to date with any particular health and safety procedures in place.
Maintain and update visible signage
As a worker, you should always be aware of where the emergency response equipment is. If visibility isn’t good at your site, then use bright and reflective signage to indicate the location of such equipment as well as first-aid kits and fire extinguishers. Companies such as Baling Wire Direct at balingwiredirect.com can provide baling wire to mend fences and condense materials to ensure the site remains tidy and safe. Not only will this allow anyone in distress to find such items easily, but it will also help emergency response services to get there faster.
Keep on top of machine maintenance
Workers should regularly check on the maintenance of their equipment. If you notice any visible signs of damage, then it’s important to have it repaired as soon as possible. Always follow the manufacturer’s operating instructions manual when using new machinery or equipment for the first time. You should also consult with a health and safety specialist if you have any concerns about your safety while using the equipment.
Have an accident plan in place
Accidents can happen at any time, even during the most routine of tasks. While some accidents may seem minor and easy to deal with, it’s always a good idea to have a clear-cut plan that you can follow for addressing both serious and non-serious injuries. A health and safety specialist or manager will be able to help you with this.
Allocate responsibility for health and safety to an individual or committee. It’s important that at least one person is responsible for managing all your company's health and safety-related tasks, be it a committee or an individual. Whenever a new project starts, the most senior member of your team should assign someone to implement the necessary health and safety measures.
Make sure all workers are trained and competent enough to carry out their roles properly. When new employees join the company, ensure that you give them training on health and safety protocols and work procedures. While existing employees may already be aware of such procedures, an annual refresher course is always a good idea.