Oil and Gas Industry Jobs Safer than Insurance Agents and Stockbrokers

You read that right. California Resources Corporation recently reported a zero-employee injury rate for well over a year’s time. The safety rate of its combined workforce is better than that of radio broadcasters, insurance agents and stockbrokers — essentially better than desk job work. So how does an industry with complex processes, systems, facilities of industrial scale always stay focused on safety? It takes every industry employee practicing a safety-first attitude every day.

Safety is engrained in our DNA. We’ve always been an industry that places the highest priority on the safety and health of our workforce by developing new technologies, best practices and programs to safeguard our employees, our business partners and community stakeholders all at the same time.

This week, August 10-16 marks National Safe + Sound Week, a program led by OSHA and supported by the National Safety Council to recognize the successes, and raise awareness and understanding for, workplace health and safety programs across many diverse industries. We’re proud of our industry’s participation in these valuable programs in their steadfast pursuit to protect our people, our partners and our communities.

Here are some examples of our industry’s approach to safety:

  • At Aera, safety means taking exceptional care for people with a singular goal for everybody to go home alive and well every day. Safety impacts the lives of all employees, business partners and neighbors in the communities where the company operates. That is why it engages its entire workforce in identifying and controlling exposure to improve safety in more sustainable ways. By safely and responsibly producing oil and gas, Area helps Californians live better lives. And by doing the right thing, the company earns trust and confidence as a preferred employer, dependable neighbor, good environmental steward and respected corporate citizen.
  • Berry is committed to conducting its operations in a manner that maintains, protects, and preserves our natural resources, and promotes a safe and healthy workplace. Berry’s “safety-first” culture and Environmental, Health & Safety considerations are an integral part of its day-to-day operations. Berry posted a total recordable incident rate of 0.52 in 2019 but is committed to continuously improving. Any incident is one incident too many.
  • At California Resources Corporation (CRC) health and safety leads everything to safeguard people and the environment in the design, operation and maintenance of their facilities. In 2019, the company received 22 National Safety Achievement awards. In addition, its workforce achieved the best safety record in the long history of its fields and operations, with zero employee injuries for well over a year.
  • Marathon Petroleum has driven its OSHA Recordable Incident Rate to less than half of the weighted industry average for the last several years. More than two dozen of the company’s locations have been certified as OSHA Voluntary Protection Program Star Sites after undergoing a rigorous process to ensure effective worksite-based safety and health practices. Their Martinez, California, refinery was among the recipients of the Distinguished Safety Award from the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers Association in 2019, and the Elite Silver Award in 2018, recognizing superior safety performance of petroleum refining and petrochemical facilities.
  • Phillips 66 invested $559 million for refining reliability, safety and environmental projects in 2018. Their safety culture, comprehensive Health, Safety and Environmental policies, management systems and the commitment of everyone resulted in an OSHA Total Recordable Rate (TRR) of 0.14 in 2018 for the second year in a row – an industry-leading safety result that is 25 times lower than the overall U.S. manufacturing average.

 

In all aspects of its work, the oil and gas industry demonstrates operational excellence, while meeting and exceeding regulatory requirements, protecting the environment, and supporting community well-being wherever we operate. For more on the industry’s efforts to further strengthen its Safety-First culture, click here.

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