.png)
The Buckeye Service, Transmission, Exploration and Production Safety Network (Buckeye STEPS Network) has teamed up with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to help educate employers on how to properly address oil and gas operations hazards. The goal of the OSHA, Buckeye STEPS Network alliance is to develop a cooperative relationship between OSHA and the oil and gas industry, encourage worker participation to achieve a safe and healthful workplace and improve safety and health programs, according to an OSHA news release.
The Buckeye STEPS, OSHA alliance comes on the heels of 138 private oil and gas extraction workers dying as a result of work-related injury in 2012, which is a 10-year high in fatal occupational injuries for the oil and gas extraction industry, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“This alliance reflects a mutual recognition of the importance of ensuring workers’ safety and health in the growing oil and gas industry,” said Deborah Zubaty, OSHA area director in Columbus, Ohio. “We are working together to spread awareness and ensure employers have the ability to address issues effectively, such as air contaminants, chemical exposure, vehicle operations and heat stress, which are the leading causes of injury and illness in this industry.”
Some of the methods Buckeye STEPS and OSHA plan to employ to achieve the goal of the alliance include:
Sharing information on OSHA’s emphasis programs and regulatory agenda
Allowing employers the opportunity to participate in the rulemaking process
Participating in forums and stakeholder meetings regarding safety and health issues
Forging solutions and sharing information through outreach and communications programs
In addition to the above, OSHA and Buckeye STEPS will participate in the National Voluntary Stand Down of U.S. Onshore Oil and Gas Exploration and Production on November 14. It is a voluntary, coordinated pause in the workday to discuss and address workplace safety issues that is being co-sponsored by oil and gas industry groups, OSHA and National STEPS.
There is more information available on our site about workplace safety as well as information about workers’ compensation. Workers’ comp laws are complex and confusing, but our Columbus workers’ comp firm has been successfully helping injured workers with their workers’ compensation and Social Security disability claims for 85 years.
For more information or to schedule a free consultation, contact our firm today at (614) 221-7548.
Did You Know?: From 2003 to 2012, 1,073 workers in the oil and gas extraction industry died as a result of a work-related injury.
Larrimer & Larrimer, LLC—Columbus Workers Comp Attorneys