How the oil & gas sector can manage employee welfare

04 May, 2023

The Oil & Gas industry can take its toll on both the physical and mental wellbeing of employees, and in 2021 there was a rate of 317 injuries per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers. With this in mind, what steps can be taken to help manage employee welfare, and how can they be implemented?

Training and education 

Training and educating employees of the dangers in the industry and how they can minimise risk is vital. Training doesn’t just mean a course at the beginning of employment or at the start of a job. Regular refresher courses are important to remind employees of their responsibilities, and to keep them safe in an often-harsh environment. It is important to engage employees in the training; think interactive sessions rather than just having employees read a handbook or listening to a talk for hours on end. More interactive sessions and more engagement will often lead to a better understanding of what is being taught, and moving forward, a reduced chance of risk and injury. Employees will also feel more effort has gone into the training by the organisation, making them feel more valued in an industry where training and safety protocol is of the highest importance.

Health and safety

Improving health and safety standards and reducing the risk of any incidents are very important in the oil & gas industry. The nature of the work means that any incident can be very damaging to the environment, equipment and even life. Health and safety these does beyond just “hard rules” written for people to follow, although this does form the basis of training and give everyone something to work from and relate back to. Regular assessments, monitoring and immediately dealing with any incidents are paramount to increasing the health and safety standards in the industry, as well as employee welfare. In addition, it is vital to learn from any mistakes or accidents, have regular feedback and build this into any training programmes as required.

Mental wellbeing

In the Oil & Gas industry, mental health is very important. Workers are often away for long periods of time, away from their friends and family, their home comforts and at times they will feel isolated. Making sure employees can stay in contact with their friends and family is important, as is ensuring they have access to items to keep them occupied and entertained during any downtime. Good quality food and access to a gym or exercise equipment will also help with the mental wellbeing of those in the oil & gas industry and is something for employers to consider offering as standard.