Oil and gas work remains one of the most dangerous industries to work in. Injuries and fatalities are a high risk for such employees, and unsafe work environments only increase the possibility. Considering both the importance and difficulty of these jobs, workers need the highest protection and safety measures. Whether you are a general supervisor or specifically in charge of work safety, you should make sure you include the following best practices.

Invest in Safety Training

You can get the best equipment and reduce hazards, but accidents will not minimize unless all workers are united in keeping up the best safety measures. To get everyone on board, make sure to implement safety training with a personal approach, ensuring all workers get to know and build trust with one another while also teaching safety measures. Having a goal of zero accidents over a period of time, with a good incentive for reaching it, can also unite workers of any hazardous industry. And last, don't forget that repetition is the best way to learn something in the long term—taking the time to go over the training or program at regular intervals will improve employees' adherence to safety protocol.

Require Fire Resistant Clothing

Another important way to protect workers is to make sure they're wearing fire-resistant apparel or FRC cloth. OSHA's requirements dictate that oilfield employees need FR clothing in hazardous phases of production like servicing, drilling, extracting, stimulating, plugging, or capping inactive wells. Essentially, FR clothing is required whenever there is a high potential for flash fires, but even when it isn't, fire safety apparel can mitigate risk. Since workers in the oil and gas industry will need to be in flame-resistant uniforms most of the time anyway, it's smart to require it for your company all of the time. There are lots of fireproof clothing suppliers you can go to in-person or order online FR clothing.

Install IVMS

One more best practice to remember is to monitor driver behavior. Accidents from being in a motor vehicle collision, whether driving or riding, account for more fatalities in this industry than any other. Despite all the safety programs and driver training you implement, employees can still get lax or irresponsible without a system of accountability. An in-vehicle monitoring system (IVMS) is there to monitor driving as it happens, give out warnings to the driver when undesirable speeds or recklessness is detected, and report to you on such instances and general trends. With this kind of oversight, you can correct an employee's poor driving habits and keep your workers safe. Protecting drivers by installing an IVMS in each vehicle will make a big difference in increasing safety for all employees.

There is no way to prevent all accidents—some simply can't be planned for. But in today's age, there are lots of resources and best practices to take advantage of so that your employees are as protected as possible. With innovations such as IVMS and FRC gear, as well as intentional safety training measures, you will have done everything in your power to promote safety and reduce hazards.