March 08, 2016
By:
Walter G. Wright
Category:
Arkansas Environmental, Energy, and Water Law
Arkansas Environmental, Energy, and Water Law
Download PDF
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (“NIOSH”) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (collectively “OSHA”) issued a “Hazard Alert” titled Health and Safety Risks for Workers Involved in Manual Tank Gauging and Sampling at Oil and Gas Extraction Sites (“Alert”).
Hazard Alerts are issued to warn employers about specific industry hazards and worker protection measures OSHA has identified.
OSHA states it has identified health and safety risks to workers who manually gauge or sample fluids on production and flowback tanks from exposure to hydrocarbon gases and vapors, exposure to oxygen-deficient atmospheres and the potential of fires and explosion.
The Alert notes in part that such issues can occur when workers:
… open tank hatches to manually gauge or collect fluid samples on production, flowback, or other tanks (e.g., drip pots (that contain processed fluids). Opening tank hatches, often referred to as “theft hatches,” could result in the release of high concentrations of hydrocarbon gases and vapors.
The Alert discusses:
- Hydrocarbon gas and vapor release from production and flowback tanks
- Health hazards of hydrocarbon gases and vapors
- Factors that may increase worker exposure to hydrocarbon gases and vapors in flammable atmospheres
- Factors that may decrease worker exposure to hydrocarbon gases and vapors in flammable atmospheres
- Worker fatalities during manual tank gauging and fluid sample collection, 2010-2014
- NIOSH evaluation of worker exposures during flowback and production activities
- OSHA evaluation of exposure to workers during tank gauging
- Appropriate respiratory protection
- NIOSH & OSHA recommendations for manual tank gauging and fluid sample collection
Click here to download a copy of the Alert.
The Between the Lines blog is made available by Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard, P.L.L.C. and the law firm publisher. The blog site is for educational purposes only, as well as to give general information and a general understanding of the law. This blog is not intended to provide specific legal advice. Use of this blog site does not create an attorney client relationship between you and Mitchell Williams or the blog site publisher. The Between the Lines blog site should not be used as a substitute for legal advice from a licensed professional attorney in your state.