Occupational Health and Safety in the Oil and Gas Industry

The oil and gas industry has been affected by varying degrees of issues related to occupational health and safety (OHS). This chapter examines OHS in the oil and gas industry in developing countries. It reviews International Labour Organization (ILO) standards, legal frameworks, the WHO healthy workplace model, and empirical literature. Physical hazards such as radiation and explosion and psychosocial health hazards influenced by work-related pressures and relational deficiencies are conventional hazards in the oil and gas industry. Issues with the ratification of the conventions and poor implementation have led to the failure of the oil and gas industry in developing countries to achieve the ILO standards. The specific challenges in OHS in the industry are associated with off-shore workers, women employees, work timetable arrangements, new emerging risks, personal protective equipment, and corruption. However, there are no vibrant measures to resolve the challenges, given the diverse conventions. Thus, constructive actions are required to curb the challenges workers in the industry encounter.