More than a hundred groups and hundreds of individuals from Pennsylvania have signed onto a letter to the state’s governor, calling for an official investigation into recent reports of rare cancers in counties heavily impacted by shale gas development over the last decade. The letter also calls for the Governor Tom Wolf to suspend all gas drilling permits until the investigation shows that fracking is not the cause of what appears to be an emerging public health crisis.
OSHA has cited both a contractor and the operator of a natural gas processing plant in Houston, Pennsylvania, following a fire that killed one worker and left three others badly burned.
The agency cited Energy Transportation LLC, the company contracted to clean lines and vessels at the plant, for violations of the process safety management (PSM) standard, and for exposing employees to flammable vapor and liquid while they off-loaded waste material from a vessel into a mobile tank.
The US Chemical Safety Board’s (CSB) investigation into an Oklahoma blowout that killed five workers blames the incident on a lack of regulations governing onshore drilling safety as well as shortcomings in safety management systems and industry standards utilized by the industry.
The CSB’s final investigation report into the Pryor Trust gas well explosion in Pittsburgh County calls on regulators, industry groups, the state of Oklahoma and companies to address such gaps.
Driving while fatigued can be a common occurrence for long-haul truck drivers, and studies have shown it can be as problematic as driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Yet almost a third of people in a AAA survey said at least once in the prior month they had driven while so tired that they could barely keep their eyes open.
The global industrial protective fabric market is projected to reach $9 billion dollars by 2025, according to a new growth forecast analysis by Global Market Insights, Inc. Driving that growth: use by the chemical industry.
Global petrochemical market size will surpass USD 950 billion by 2025 due to growing demand for plastics and lubricants.
Petroleum gases and vapors consist of harmful toxins like benzene, butane, and methane. In the oil and gas industry, petroleum gases are often referred to as “sweet gas” or hydrocarbon gas.
Employees that work with oil storage tanks have the highest risk of exposure. OSHA records show that there were 9 deaths from exposure to petroleum gases since 2010.
The digital oilfield holds promise of introducing disruptive new cost-cutting efficiencies, greater levels of production and new business models with the potential to transform the energy industry in the same way digitalization has transformed many other sectors of the economy.
Gas analyzers, sensors, and detectors have become a key part of several industries in recent years due to their effective contribution in averting mishaps related to gas leakage. The global gas analyzers, sensors, and detectors market is thus likely to grow at a steady rate in the coming years due to the rapid growth of the industrial sector across the world.
The role physical activity plays in heat-related illness, this year’s “Dirty Dozen,” and a giant coffee chain finds that it has to protect its workers from dangerous objects left behind by drug users. These were among the occupational safety and health stories featured this week on ISHN.com.
The US Chemical Safety Board (CSB) is calling on the EPA to review its existing Hydrofluoric Acid (HF) study to determine the effectiveness of existing regulations as well as the viability of utilizing inherently safer alkylation technologies in petroleum refineries.
In a letter sent to the EPA, the CSB notes that in the last four years, the agency has investigated two refinery incidents where an explosion elevated the threat of a release of HF.