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Welcome
not a
well-oiled
machine
t
he health aNd saFetY daNgers inherent in the oil and gas
industry are unlike those anywhere else.
Swinging around oil rigs at great heights, maneuvering heavy
machinery on platforms that could explode and catch fi re, and
working 24-7 far away from friends and family mean oil and gas workers
have very diffi cult jobs.
Ironically, the industry is far from a well-oiled machine. We are fre-
quently reading headlines of fatalities and serious injuries among oil
and gas workers.
Take Suncor Energy for example. In 2014 alone, there have been four
deaths at the company's oilsands sites — and as this issue goes to press,
we are just halfway through the year. In January one Suncor worker was
found dead in a large pool of sand and water; another worker died after a
sump pan fell on his head while conducting maintenance on a D9 dozer;
an instrument technician died in hospital after he collapsed while performing voltage testing; and
Lorna Weafer was killed in an attack by a black bear (see more on page 12).
With such a focus on health and safety in this day and age, there are no excuses for these inci-
dents. I know companies like Suncor and other big names in oil and gas have entire teams of
highly skilled health and safety professionals who work tirelessly to keep workers safe. So why do
these incidents keep occurring?
Is the safety message not getting properly translated to workers? Are there signifi cant problems
with equipment that are not getting addressed? Are certain processes not as safe as we might imag-
ine? No matter what the cause, it's time for all oil and gas employers to take a long, hard look at
all aspects of their safety management program.
And it has to start with you. The executives, leaders and managers set the safety tone throughout
the company. CEOs and presidents, you need to demonstrate a commitment to safe work prac-
tices. Talk about safety every chance you get. Make a point to do walk-arounds in full safety gear.
If workers see you walking the talk, they are more likely to take your safety messages seriously. If
it matters to you, it will matter to them, too.
Leaders and managers need to make sure their workers make safety a priority. If you see them
not wearing their PPE or taking a shortcut on a job, stop them and let them know this is not
acceptable. It might not be fun to be the safety police, but it might save a life.
Alberta is still in a boom compared to the rest of the country. We actively send workers from all
across Canada, especially the Atlantic provinces, to work in the oilsands. If this industry is con-
tinuing to grow and young workers are fl ying to work in the region, we need to make sure they
are going back home to their friends and families safe and sound.
I am excited to launch the inaugural issue of Canadian Oil & Gas Safety. This special supplement
includes articles from experts and in-depth reports on topics that health and safety professionals
said were top of mind in the industry. We hope you fi nd the information valuable and please email
me any thoughts or ideas you have for the next issue.
Amanda Silliker, Editor
amanda.silliker@thomsonreuters.com
DIRECTOR, CARSWELL MEDIA / Karen Lorimer
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ART DIRECTOR / Steve Maver
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(ANNUAL PUBLICATION)
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