May 1, 2008

What’s the riskiest part of working on a drilling rig? Getting to the job

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C.

The trip to and from the oilpatch is the riskiest part of the drilling business, says the president of the Canadian Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors.

Don Herring said he’s seen the safety record for actual drilling operations improve over the years, but the drive to the job is more dangerous than the job itself.

“The fatalities in the upstream industries are very significant for people who are driving single vehicles and not doing things like wearing seatbelts, or driving when they haven’t had enough rest,” he said.

On the job site, drilling and pipeline construction and repair are the most dangerous activities because workers are constantly interacting with moving machinery. Those two activities account for 52 per cent of all WorksafeBC oil and gas-related claims.

Still, the oil and gas industry in B.C. has about half the number of injuries reported in other industries in the province. However, injuries in the oil and gas industry tend to be more severe than in other sectors, with workers spending an average of 104 days off the job from a short-term disability compared to a total B.C. average of 48 days.

Canadian Press

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