North Dakota safety advocates: More training needed in oil fields

Safety advocates in North Dakota say workers need more training to keep them safe in the oil fields, The Bismarck Tribune reports. Dustin Austin, a consultant with the North Dakota Safety Council (NDSC), tells the newspaper that the Bakken oil boom has attracted many workers to the region who have little or no experience, and don’t properly understand how to stay safe in the field.
“There’s a lot that goes into supporting the oil and gas industry,” Austin said. “The way North Dakota was set up previously, none of this was up here. There was not a lot of activity or a need for enforcement. But with the level of hazards it’s now dealing with, the industry hasn’t had the resources it needs.”
Austin tells The Tribune that too many workers in the Bakken fields sustain serious injuries to their arms and hands because they fail to use equipment properly — accidents that could easily be prevented with more training.
At the recent North Dakota Governor’s Pipeline Summit, presenters ranging from Gov. Jack Dalrymple to Director of the North Dakota Pipeline Authority Justin Kringstad stressed the importance of maintaining proper safety standards when working with oil. Conscientious training can also ensure that mistakes don’t lead to lost production and environmental damage, the effects of which can obviously be devastating.
If you are a professional in the oil and gas industry, take a look at Mastery Technologies‘ considerable selection of field-specific safety training and occupational skills training resources, covering everything from incident response to hand safety and injury prevention. Act today to make your workplace safer for all of your employees — an investment is sure to pay off by preventing potentially costly and tragic accidents.