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Richmond, B.C., May 6, 2008—While BC’s petroleum industry has an injury rate that is about one-half the provincial rate (1.6 versus 3.1), there’s a problem with the severity and the duration of injuries to oil and gas workers that needs to be addressed.
That assessment came from WorkSafeBC this week in advance of the Petroleum Safety Conference, which takes place from May 6-9 in Banff.
“This is a fast paced, risky industry,” WorkSafeBC’s Compliance Manager Don Dahr said. “When oil-and-gas employees do get hurt, they average nearly twice as much time off the job as workers in other industries.”
In the petroleum industry, work-related injuries tend to be more severe, according to Dahr, with longer recovery times and higher costs. Compensation claims for serious injuries cost five times more than other injuries.
In the five years ending 2007, BC’s petroleum industry’s claims amounted to $57 million and led to 122, 000 lost work days.
“It adds up to a lot of pain and suffering and lost production,” Dahr said, “but WorkSafeBC and the industry are working together to turn that around.”
Those efforts involve Enform, the BC health and safety association for the upstream oil and gas industry. Based in Fort St John, Enform plays a key role in providing safety services and quality training to help improve BC’s petroleum industry’s safety record.
Wally Baer, Enform’s President and CEO said, “Booming activity in the northeast makes it even more important for industry to meet and exceed legislated standards for health and safety. Enform can add value by advancing industry standards such as Industry Recommended Practices and the Certificate of Recognition Program for safety management, and by providing training which serves to increase the competence of BC workers in the industry.”
“In large part, improving the situation depends on everyone understanding who’s responsible for what when it comes to workplace safety,” according to Dahr. “With so many people operating and making decisions at different levels on petroleum work sites, it’s critical that all the players do their part.
A new WorkSafeBC publication lays it all out for them. Titled Oil & Gas Compliance, it was created for WorkSafeBC officers inspecting petroleum work sites and is now available to the industry.
The two-booklet package describes safety responsibilities of owners, prime contractors, employers, supervisors and workers. It also outlines WorkSafeBC’s petroleum industry inspection protocol and compliance strategy. Dahr emphasizes that the publication doesn’t alter any existing regulatory or statutory requirements.
Downloads of Oil & Gas Compliance are free from www.worksafebc.com, and hard-copies can be ordered for $20 by emailing customer.service@worksafebcstore.com.
Dahr says the publication reflects “WorkSafeBC’s ongoing commitment to assure a clear, consistent approach by our field officers and to collaborate with industry to keep workers safe and healthy.
WorkSafeBC is an independent provincial statutory agency governed by a Board of Directors that serves nearly 2.3 million workers and about 197,000 employers. WorkSafeBC was born out of a compromise between B.C.'s workers and employers in 1917 where workers gave up the right to sue their employers and fellow workers for injuries on the job in return for a no-fault insurance program fully paid for by employers. The organization is committed to safe and healthy workplaces and to providing return-to-work rehabilitation and legislated compensation benefits to workers injured as a result of their employment.
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| Gladys Johnsen |
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