Oil & Gas

Washington – Scott Angelle is the new director of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, the federal agency announced May 22. His appointment was effective May 23.

Oakland, CA – The Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board for California’s Department of Industrial Relations has approved a regulation aimed at “anticipating, preventing and responding to hazards” at the state’s oil refineries.

Washington – Fatal falls among workers in the oil and gas extraction industry occur most often during rigging procedures or when workers remove or insert a drill pipe into a wellbore, according to research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Houston – Industry and regulators now have a better picture of how an offshore blowout preventer likely would operate during a blowout, thanks to a recent Southwest Research Institute study funded by the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement.

Houston – A risk model recently presented at the Ocean Energy Safety Institute’s Public Technology Assessment Program Forum indicates that earlier kick detection during offshore oil and gas operations could be vital to preventing incidents involving loss of well control.

Washington – The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement has expanded its near-miss reporting system to include the confidential collection of equipment failure reports, in an effort to further improve the safety of offshore oil and gas operations.

Washington – The Transportation Research Board, part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, has released a report recommending strategies to bolster and maintain safety culture in the offshore oil and gas industry.

Washington – Workers in the offshore oil and gas industry could benefit from a final rule that revises and updates site safety and maintenance requirements for the first time since 1988.

Washington – Exposure to low levels of methane and other combustible gases can lead to “catastrophic” consequences for helicopters traveling to and from offshore oil and gas platforms, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement recently cautioned.

Washington – The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement has scheduled a public forum to discuss critical offshore equipment failures.