This month we examine the top five enemies of safety and training—aside from lack of follow up, which deserves a category of its own. Complacency How do you measure complacency? Or can you even measure it? You can sometimes recognize it. Is that reliable? Consistent practices in hiring can be one of the most critical aspects of […]

Safety has a tendency to find all kinds of acronyms to serve as catchy bywords. Take for instance the “Three C’s” of safety. This trio—compliance, competence, and commitment—furnish a catch-all category that encompasses the root causes of all injuries and accidents. Each C is equally necessary. It’s like a 3-legged stool. One weak leg can […]

Welcome to this month’s edition of Safety. Each year, regardless of anyone’s job description, whether white collar or blue collar, back injuries rank among the most prevalent suffered in the workplace. Each year there are more than two million back injuries. Eighty percent of adults suffer a back injury sometime in their lifetime, whether at […]

As parents are prone to say: Don’t give me any static. A much-overlooked safety hazard in the oilfield, static electricity accumulation can be dangerous. The oil and gas industry is renowned for its complex operations, hazardous environments, and rigorous safety protocols. While there are many commonly known risks like hydrocarbon releases, blowouts, and mechanical failures […]

Step into any bustling workplace—be it a construction site, manufacturing plant, oilfield, or office tower—and you’ll find a safety professional engaged in a daily dance with risk. It’s a role that demands more than just adherence to rules or checking boxes. In fact, being a safety person is strikingly similar to playing a round of […]

Experience can be as hazardous as inexperience in the oilfield The oilfield is a notoriously dangerous environment, requiring constant vigilance, strict adherence to safety protocols, and a deep understanding of the risks involved. While much attention is given to the hazards faced by inexperienced workers, it is equally important to recognize that experienced workers can […]

When I first was asked if I wanted to be in the safety profession, I politely said heck no. I had numerous reasons for not wanting the role, so I gracefully declined. Safety records—ours, and those of other companies like ours—were becoming an issue with customers in operations. We did not meet the standards or […]

Welcome back to everyone’s favorite topic—safety! I say that because most of the people that read anything about safety are safety people. Some people in operations will glance through safety articles on the chance there may be something new or a new rule or ruling from OSHA, MSHA, EPA, NIOSH, FMCA, or—if they operate in […]

Each year this particular topic—safe operation of forklifts—is overlooked by too many, to the detriment of the everyday worker. There are numerous people who are accustomed to operating a forklift. However, there are significantly fewer people formally trained and certified in forklift operations. This fact in and of itself illustrates a huge gap. Due to […]