Self-reported exposure to hazards and mitigation strategies among oil and gas extraction workers in three U.S. states

Abstract

Numerous health and safety hazards exist at U.S. onshore oil and gas extraction worksites. Higher fatal injury rates have been reported among drilling and servicing companies, which are more likely to employ workers in construction and extraction occupations, compared to operators that employ more workers in management and office and administrative support roles. However, there is little information describing the extent to which workers encounter these hazards, are provided hazard mitigation strategies by their employers, or use personal protective equipment (PPE). A cross-sectional survey of 472 U.S. oil and gas extraction workers was conducted to identify and characterize factors related to on-the-job fatalities, injuries, and illnesses and determine workers’ health and safety concerns. Workers were employed by servicing companies (271/472, 57.4%), drilling contractors (106/472, 22.5%), and operators (95/472, 20.1%). The likelihood of contact with hazardous substances varied by substance and company type. Drilling and servicing employees had significantly higher odds of self-reported contact with pipe dope (OR_drilling = 10.07, 95% CI: 1.74–63.64; OR_servicing = 5.95, 95% CI: 2.18–18.34), diesel exhaust (OR_drilling = 2.28, 95% CI: 1.15–5.05; OR_servicing = 4.93, 95% CI: 2.73–10.32), and drilling mud (OR_drilling = 24.36, 95% CI: 4.45–144.69; OR_servicing = 3.48, 95% CI: 1.24–12.20), compared to operators. Safety policies, programs, and trainings were commonly reported by workers, although substance-specific training (e.g., respirable crystalline silica hazards) was less common. Differences in self-reported employer PPE requirements and worker use of PPE when needed or required for safety highlight a need for novel strategies to improve the use of PPE. Overall, this study highlights differences in work conditions by company type and uncovers gaps in employer administrative controls and PPE use.

Keywords:

• Employer safety policies
• hierarchy of controls
• occupational exposure
• occupational health
• personal protective equipment

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Ryan Hill and Christa Hale, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Western States Division, for their thoughtful reviews of the manuscript. We also thank the employers and workers who participated in the survey.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, KW, upon reasonable request.

Disclaimer

The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mention of any company or product does not constitute an endorsement by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In addition, citations to websites external to NIOSH do not constitute NIOSH endorsement of the sponsoring organizations or their programs or products. Furthermore, NIOSH is not responsible for the content of these websites. All web addresses referenced in this document were accessible as of the publication date.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no potential competing interests.

Institution and ethics approval and informed consent

The study protocol and survey were approved by the NIOSH Institutional Review Board (Protocol Number: 15-WSD-01XP) and the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (Protocol Number: 0920-1195). Researchers provided workers with the informed consent form and verbally explained the consent process. Assurances were provided that no personally identifiable information would be recorded or disclosed and that responses would be aggregated for presentation or publication.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.