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Page last reviewed: 08/29/2007
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Oil and Gas Well Drilling, Servicing and Storage

This page is a part of an ongoing commitment by OSHA and the oil and gas well drilling, servicing and storage industry to provide employers and employees in this industry with information to help in complying with OSHA and industry standards to ensure a safe workplace.

Exposures to hazards present in the oil and gas well drilling, servicing and storage are addressed in specific standards for general industry.

OSHA-NIOSH Hazard Alert - Respirable Silica Hazard Alert
Worker Exposure to Silica during Hydraulic Fracturing

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) identified exposure to airborne silica as a health hazard to workers conducting some hydraulic fracturing operations during recent field studies. See the OSHA-NIOSH Hazard Alert on Hydraulic Fracturing. Also available as a 2 MB PDF, 7 pages. OSHA has also compiled frequently asked questions about silica and hydraulic fracturing.

OSHA and NIOSH issue hazard alert on ensuring workers in hydraulic fracturing operations have appropriate protections from silica exposure. OSHA News Release, (2012, June 21).

Standards

This section highlights OSHA standards, directives (instructions for compliance officers), standard interpretations (official letters of interpretation of the standards), state standards, other federal standards and national consensus standards related to oil and gas well drilling and servicing. For information specific to above ground storage tanks, see OSHA's Storage Tanks Safety and Health Topics Page.

Note: Twenty-five states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands have OSHA-approved State Plans and have adopted their own standards and enforcement policies. For the most part, these States adopt standards that are identical to Federal OSHA. However, some States have adopted different standards applicable to this topic or may have different enforcement policies.

OSHA

Frequently Cited Standards

A listing of the most frequently cited standards by Federal OSHA for Oil And Gas Field Services Industry Group (SIC code 138) is available. Additional information for other frequently cited Federal and State OSHA standards is available by SIC code and jurisdiction by entering your own SIC code, finding a SIC code of interest, or using one of the following pre-selected SIC codes (returns onlycitations issued by Federal OSHA):

Highlighted Standards

Directives

Standard Interpretations

Other Related Information

  • Authority of Coast Guard and OSHA regarding enforcement of safety and health standards aboard vessels inspected and certified by the Coast Guard. Memorandum of Understanding, (1983, March 4).
  • Cooperation of OSHA and the USCG in date exchange, standards research and development. Memorandum of Understanding, (1979, December 19).

State

OSHA Regulations

California

  • Title 8; Chapter 4, Division of Industrial Safety
    • Subchapter 14. Petroleum Safety Orders--Drilling and Production

    Note: These are NOT OSHA regulations. However, they do provide guidance from their originating organizations related to worker protection.

Alaska

Texas

  • Title 16, Economic Regulation; Part 1, Railroad Commission of Texas

Utah

Wyoming

Other Federal

    Note: These are NOT OSHA regulations. However, they do provide guidance from their originating organizations related to worker protection.

Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA)

  • 49 CFR 171, General Information, Regulations, and Definitions

  • 49 CFR 172, Hazardous Materials Table, Special Provisions, Hazardous Materials Communications, Emergency Response Information, Training Requirements and Security Plans

  • 49 CFR 173, Shippers -- General Requirements for Shipments and Packagings

  • 49 CFR 177, Carriage by Public Highway

  • 49 CFR 178, Specifications for Packagings

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF)

Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)

  • 10 CFR 39, Licenses and Radiation Safety Requirements for Well Logging

National Consensus

    Note: These are NOT OSHA regulations. However, they do provide guidance from their originating organizations related to worker protection.

American National Standards Institute (ANSI)/American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE)

  • Z41, Personal Protection - Protective Footwear

  • Z49.1, Safety in Welding and Cutting and Allied Processes

  • Z87.1, Practice for Occupational and Educational Eye and Face Protection

  • Z88.2, Respiratory Protection

  • Z89.1, Requirements for Industrial Head Protection

  • Z117.1, Safety Requirements for Confined Spaces

  • Z359.1, Safety Requirements for Personal Fall Arrest Systems, Subsystems and Components

American Petroleum Institute (API)

API develops standards that identify and support proven, sound engineering and operating practices, and safe, interchangeable equipment and materials, for use in the petroleum industry. API is an accredited Standards Developing Organization that meets the due process requirements of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).

Recommended Practices and Guidelines

Work Over Rig

The petroleum and petrochemical industry along with many safety organizations have addressed specific hazards in oil and gas well drilling, and servicing operations by developing a number of publications, recommended practices and guidelines that specifically address safe work practices. OSHA has published its recommendations in the following safety bulletins:

For information specific to industry standards for above ground storage tanks, see OSHA's Storage Tanks Safety and Health Topics Page.

American Petroleum Institute (API)

API develops standards that identify and support proven, sound engineering and operating practices, and safe, interchangeable equipment and materials, for use in the petroleum industry. API is an accredited Standards Developing Organization that meets the due process requirements of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).

Note: These are NOT OSHA regulations. However, they do provide guidance from their originating organizations related to worker protection.

  • Bulletins
    • E1, Generic Hazardous Chemical Category List and Inventory for the Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Industry (Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986, Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-know Act).

  • Specifications
    • 9A, Wire Rope. Covers wire rope of various grades and construction; also, torpedo lines, well-measuring wire, and galvanized wire guy strand. Mooring wire rope is also included.

  • Recommended Practices
    • 4G, Maintenance and Use of Drilling and Well Servicing Structures. Recommendations are supplemental to the manufacturer's instructions and should give satisfactory performance when used within the stipulated load capacities for the drilling or well-servicing structure.
    • 8B, Inspection, Maintenance, Repair, and Remanufacture of Hoisting Equipment. Provides owners and users of equipment listed in RP 8B guidelines for inspection, maintenance, repair, and remanufacture procedures that may be utilized to maintain serviceability of the covered equipment.
    • 9B, Application, Care, and Use of Wire Rope for Oil Field Service. Covers size and construction, field care and use, field problems and their causes, recommended design features of wire rope, and evaluation of rotary drilling lines.
    • 11ER, Guarding of Pumping Units. (ANSI/API RP 11ER-1992) (includes Supplement 1, July 1, 1991). Provides a reference guide for the design, manufacture, and installation of guards for oil well pumping units.
    • 11G, Installation and Lubrication of Pumping Units. Covers installation of beam-type pumping units and lubrication of pumping-unit reducers.
    • 49, Recommended Practice for Drilling and Well Service Operations Involving Hydrogen Sulfide. Applies to oil and gas well drilling and servicing operations involving hydrogen sulfide including well drilling, completion, servicing, workover, downhole maintenance, and plug and abandonment procedures conducted with hydrogen sulfide present in the fluids being handled.
    • 53, Blowout Prevention Equipment Systems for Drilling Operations. Provides information that can serve as a guide for installation and testing of blowout prevention equipment systems on land and marine drilling rigs (barge, platform, bottom-supported, and floating).
    • 54, Occupational Safety for Oil and Gas Well Drilling and Servicing Operations. Procedures for promotion and maintenance of safe working conditions for employees engaged in rotary drilling operations and well servicing operations, including special services.
    • 67, Oilfield Explosives Safety. Provides guidance on explosives transportation, on-site explosives loading and unloading operations, electrical wireline operations, tubing conveyed operations, self-contained activating tools, setting tools, sidewall sample taker tools, select fire perforating guns, and bullet perforating guns.
    • 68, Well Servicing and Workover Operations Involving Hydrogen Sulfide. Addresses personnel training, personnel protective equipment, contingency planning and emergency procedures.
    • 500, Classification of Locations for Electrical Installations at Petroleum Facilities Classified as Class I, Division 1 and Division 2. This recommended practice provides guidelines for determining the degree and extent of Class I, Division 1 and Class I, Division 2 locations at petroleum facilities, for the selection and installation of electrical equipment. Basic definitions provided in the National Electric Code have been followed in developing this document which applies to the classification of locations for both temporarily and permanently installed electrical equipment. RP 500 is intended to be applied where there may be a risk of ignition due to the presence of flammable gas or vapor, mixed with air under normal atmospheric conditions.

Association of Energy Service Companies (AESC). A trade association that represents the interests of members of the energy service segment of the oil and gas industry. It offers publications regarding recommended industry practices and training materials.

Note: These are NOT OSHA regulations. However, they do provide guidance from their originating organizations related to worker protection.

  • SA 402, Rig Safety Inspection Forms. Provides a complete checklist for rig inspections to ensure that safe operating procedures are being observed.

  • SA 400, Recommended Safe Procedures & Guidelines For Oil & Gas Well Servicing.  Developed by contractors, producers and manufacturers as an aid to preventing accidents and addresses standard well servicing operations from rigging up through rigging down.

  • SA 406, DOT Drug Testing Compliance Guide. Step-by-step guide to establishing and administering a drug testing program for commercial vehicle drivers as required by Department of Transportation Regulations.

  • EC 600, Hazardous Communication Compliance Guide. Guide for complying with the community’s right-to-know law.

  • Guidelines on the Stability of Well Servicing Derricks. There has been considerable progress within the industry to design procedures to assure the integrity of the stability system without the necessity of conducting individual pull tests on each of the anchors.

International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC). A trade association that represents the interests of members of the drilling segment of the oil and gas industry. It offers publications regarding recommended industry practices and training materials.

Note: These are NOT OSHA regulations. However, they do provide guidance from their originating organizations related to worker protection.

  • Drilling Manual

  • Drilling Technology for the Man on the Rig

  • Drilling Technology Series

  • Accident Prevention Reference Guide

  • Guía de Referencia Para Prevención de Accidentes

  • Weekly Safety Meeting Report

  • 52 Safety Topics

  • Five Minute Rig Safety Meeting Topics

  • Guide to Safe Stairways, Walkways, and Railings

  • How to Keep Drugs Off Your Rig

  • H2S Safety Handbook

  • Planning for Drilling in H2S Zones

  • Rotary Rig Safety Inspections Checklist

  • Rules-of-Thumb for the Man on the Rig

  • Safety Regulations for the Oil and Gas Industry

  • The Rotary Rig and Its Components Poster

  • Home Study Courses: Rotary Drilling Series

  • Rig Pass: Accrediting the Basics

  • Guide to Blowout Prevention

  • Introduction to Well Control

  • Well Control for the Man on the Rig

  • The Pit Watcher

  • H2S Safety in Drilling and Production

  • Makin' Hole: How Oilwells are Drilled

  • Roughneck Training

  • Tripping Practices

  • Safe Rigging Practices

  • Basic Rigging Concepts

  • Drums, Blocks, Sheaves, and Wire Rope Terminations

  • Rigging Gear and Inspection Criteria

  • Safe Rigging Practices and Procedures

  • Putting Slings to Work

  • WellCAP Accreditation Program

Additional Information

Related Safety and Health Topics Pages

Training

  • OSHA Training Institute Course Catalog Search
    • 3000-Safety and Health for Oil and Gas Well Operations. Focuses on the safety and health aspects of on- and off-shore oil and gas well operations. It includes terminology, processes, equipment and materials, and special hazards. The course features operations of a drilling rig and a workover rig. Participants observe oil drilling equipment and operations such as making up and breaking out pipe drilling joints, throwing the spinning chain, placing and removing drilling pipe, and working from the derrick.

  • Events & Training. American Petroleum Institute (API).

  • Education Center. Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA).

  • Training Courses. Petroleum Extension Service (PETEX).

  • Association of Energy Service Companies (AESC).
    • TR 200, A Primer of Oilwell Drilling. Describes drilling operations from exploration to installing the Christmas tree and explains such procedures as preparing the drill site, rigging up, normal drilling operations, running and cementing casing, fishing, directional drilling, well-control procedures, and well testing.
    • TR 201, Primer of Oilwell Servicing & Workover. Offers an introduction to the methods and equipment used in well servicing operations.
    • TR 202, Basic Tools and Equipment for the Oil Field. Provides a basic description with pictures of common oil field tools with emphasis on proper and safe use of the tools.
    • TR 203, Well Servicing Workover Correspondence Course. Twelve lessons on well servicing and workover designed to be used as home study lessons.
    • TV 300, Workover Rig: Driver Safety Training Video. Designed to instruct an operator in the proper and safe methods of driving a rig and covers varying weather conditions, as well as the unique characteristics of a rig that require the driver to adjust his attitude and driving habits.
    • TV 301, Orientation: New Well Servicing Personnel Video. Trains new employees on what is expected and what to expect from a career in well servicing and covers many aspects of working safely including pinch points, safe operating procedures and housekeeping.
    • TV 303, "In One Breath" H2S Safety Video. Provides information on the dynamics of hydrogen sulfide gas, detection methods, areas of possible exposure, use of protective
      equipment, signs of poisoning and what to do in a medical emergency.
    • TV 304, Rod Wrenching: Safe and Sound Video.
    • TV 308, Rescue Procedures for Workers in the Derrick Video.
    • TV 310, Pumping Unit Safety. Safety awareness video for pump jack safety.

Other Resources

Government

Industry


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