From rising and falling gas prices to devastating oil spills to the controversies over natural gas drilling, there is no shortage of headlines when it comes to the oil and gas industry. But while the spotlight shines on this ever-changing industry, one thing remains the same — the need to protect workers.
According to a six-year fatal occupational injuries census conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, oil and gas workers in the Gulf countries could be up to seven times more likely to be fatally injured than workers in other industry sectors. Commenting on the issue in November 2012, Dr. David Michaels, head of OSHA, said that the industry had “far too many deaths and something has to be done about it.”1