Texas Oil & Gas Magazine June/July 2013 | Page 28

Oilfield Safety and H 2 S

By Stan Smiley , 5 Star Safety Consulting , Inc . The workplace in the Eagle Ford is a hydrogen sulfide- ( H 2
S ) rich environment . The locations previously drilled , and those being drilled , are often less than one hundred yards apart . Thus , the risks of production as well as drilling meet . The H 2
S world can be compared to that of a venomous snake handler ; complacency , a lack of understanding , and respect can get someone bitten .
In today ’ s oilfield , getting and keeping good hands is one of the biggest challenges . The more experienced and savvy a hand is , the greater his value to the company ; often times , the company ’ s ability to be competitive is enhanced .
In the course of training hundreds of today ’ s hands in H 2
S , I find that less than 1 % can sit through a true American National Standards Institute , or ANSI Z-390 training session and not leave wide eyed and feeling lucky to have a chance to make educated , and sometimes lifesaving , evaluations and decisions when they return to the field .
H2s exposure issues are primarily inhalation . There are other factors that can cause respiratory and cardiac arrest as well as target organ damage and failure . To quote Frank Perry , chair of the ANSI Z-390 standard and well-known authority on
H 2
S ,
“ We must insist on compliance with traditional safe work practices and no short cuts . When we use shortcuts , minimize proper training , work without safe work practices and proper PPE we experience accidents and losses .”
I think we are all comfortable with the realization that the business world deals with the bottom line . Training is a deduction from that bottom line . However , when looking at the big picture , it can be factored as a Return on Investment or ROI when looking at the savings to the company in lost time , injury costs and possible litigation . Proper training should be looked at as an investment and thorough training as insurance . We ALL have insurance and often times go years or more never needing it . It is however what we need to have for our own protection . The company ’ s stance is no different .
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