Deadline Extended For Participation - National Voluntary Stand Down of US Onshore E&P

Due to many requests, the reporting deadline for the National Voluntary Stand Down of US Onshore E&P has been extended to February 28, 2014. In response to the number of fatalities in the oil and gas industry, OSHA and the National STEPS (Service, Transportation, Exploration and Production Safety) Network urge all exploration and production companies to conduct a voluntary stand down at their work sites. Companies that recognize the value of safety training use stand downs as a tool to hold focused safety meetings and conduct comprehensive jobsite inspections.

 

These meetings provide effective communication of safety policies, goals and expectations at all levels and communicate each firm's safety message to its front-line workers who constitute the largest group of the industry's workforce. The intent of the national stand down reflects that of a regional stand down; to help raise awareness of health and safety issues which have occurred in the 2013 OSHA fiscal year.

 

A 2013 National Voluntary Stand Down of US Onshore E&P was held in two phases. Phase one was held as a live event on November 14, 2013 at Humble Civic Center, Humble, Texas and webcasted to Regional STEPS Network locations across the country. Guest speakers were Dr. David Michaels with OSHA, Ryan Hill with NIOSH, and an industry round table of representatives from AESC, API, IADC, and PEC.

 

Phase two is called "Take It To The Field". Participants are asked to spend a minimum of one hour in at least 15-minute intervals between November 15, 2013 and February 28, 2014 with their employees and/or contractors to share important safety information which is provided on www.oshastanddown.org. Registration is done online to participate and to record results. Data can be entered anonymously, and it is not mandatory to enter the company name, just city and state. Materials are available at www.oshastanddown.org and include videos; power point presentations containing awareness level information and incident overviews; examples of inspection forms; and a link to the recorded live Phase I event.

 

For more information about the National Stand Down, please visit www.oshastanddown.org.