Occupational Exposures in the Oil and Gas Extraction Industry: State of the Science and Research Recommendations

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Am J Ind Med
• Personal Author:
  Witter, Roxana Z. ; Tenney, Liliana ; Clark, Suzanne ; Newman, Lee S.
• Description:
  The oil and gas extraction industry is rapidly growing due to horizontal drilling and high volume hydraulic fracturing (HVHF). This growth has provided new jobs and economic stimulus. The industry occupational fatality rate is 2.5 times higher than the construction industry and 7 times higher than general industry; however injury rates are lower than the construction industry, suggesting injuries are not being reported. Some workers are exposed to crystalline silica at hazardous levels, above occupational health standards. Other hazards (particulate, benzene, noise, radiation) exist. In this article, we review occupational fatality and injury rate data; discuss research looking at root causes of fatal injuries and hazardous exposures; review interventions aimed at improving occupational health and safety; and discuss information gaps and areas of needed research. We also describe Wyoming efforts to improve occupational safety in this industry, as a case example.
• Subjects:
  Article Extraction And Processing Industry Humans Occupational Diseases Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Occupational Injuries Oil And Gas Fields Research Risk Factors
• Source:
  Am J Ind Med. 2014; 57(7):847-856.
• Pubmed ID:
  24634090
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC4469339
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  T42 OH009229/OH/NIOSH CDC HHS/United States
• Place as Subject:
  United States ; Wyoming
• Volume:
  57
• Issue:
  7
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:8d4f7a381b15b768d98bbfedda0a741efa2a815cc852dd45feb2fad3d3565221
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/31655/cdc_31655_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 452.94 KB ]