The third edition of the Oil and gas industry guidance on voluntary sustainability reporting is now available for companies to use for their 2015 reporting cycles. The Guidance provides a reporting process together with a set of performance indicators for sustainability issues in the industry, covering environmental, health and safety, and social and economic issues.

A dramatic increase in oil and natural gas production in the U.S. has been accompanied by a rise in the fatality rate among industry workers, according to NIOSH Director Dr. John Howard, who says a new NIOSH study finds a direct relationship between the number of drilling rigs and the industry’s fatality rate.

Falls are one of the most common fatal events in the U.S. oil and gas extraction industry. The frequent need to work at elevations and the misuse or non-use of fall protection systems makes fall injuries a significant hazard, according to NIOSH.