2024 Oil and Gas Global Industry News and Network of Events

Register for the 2023 UTA Oil & Gas Conference November 28-29, 2023 – Houston

This Event Reminder is Sponsored by:

The purpose of the 2023 UTA Oil & Gas Conference is to educate attendees on two regulated segments in the oil and gas industry: safety and health and environmental. The conference is a collaboration between UTA, OSHA, EPA, NIOSH and industry. It will bring together key decision makers within management and executive positions to cultivate a better understanding of how industry and regulators can work together.

The conference provides a platform to exchange new ideas and concepts related to the oil and gas industry, all with the overriding goal of achieving better safety and environmental operations and regulatory compliance. Participants share ideas and experiences or products and services.

Air Quality Compliance in Texas

8 Hours | 0.8 CEUs

This one-day course provides an overview of air quality regulations and permitting in the state of Texas. Those new or experienced to air quality compliance will benefit from this course. Through classroom exercises, students will gain an understanding of the state regulatory requirements.

Course topics include:

  • Introduction to State Regulations (Emissions, Inventories, VOC and NOx control)
  • Emission Calculations
  • Title V Operating
  • Permits
OSHA #7300 Understanding OSHA’s Permit Required Confined Space Standards

7.5 Hours | 0.75 CEUs

This course covers the requirements of the OSHA Permit-Required Confined Space Standard. Course topics include safety and health hazards associated with confined space entry and the evaluation, prevention, and abatement of these hazards. The course covers the OSHA requirements for both general industry and construction. This course is designed for small employers or their representative (line supervisor or manager) with responsibility for developing a permit-required confined space program. Students will have a basic understanding of confined space hazards, evaluation, and abatement of the hazards, and determination of when a confined space must be classified as a permit-required confined space.

OSHA #7500 Introduction to Safety and Health Management

 5.5 Hours | 0.55 CEUs

This course covers the implementation of an effective safety and health management system. The course addresses the core elements of an effective safety and health management system and those central issues that are critical to management of each element. This interactive training session with class discussion and workshops provides students with the ability to evaluate, develop, and implement an effective safety and health management system.

Exhibitor Check-in and Set Up
Conference Registration Check-in Open

Conference Registration Check-in Open
Continental Breakfast – Exhibits Open
Day One Opening Remarks and General Session Welcome
  • Teresea Madden, Vice President, Extension and Extended Campus, The University of Texas at Arlington
  • John Howard, MD, MPH, JD, LLM, MBA, Director, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
  • Eric S. Harbin, Regional Administrator, OSHA Region VI
Behavior-Based Safety Program
This presentation is a brief history, overview, and suggestion on embracing behavior-based safety practices through personnel empowerment.
Defining DROPS (Dropped Objects Prevention Scheme)
The purpose of the breakout session is to define the requirement for a dropped object program. The body of the presentation would cover the main points of a dropped objects program. The main points would include the elements of an awareness campaign, the action plan, remedial action, manufacturers and suppliers, automated derrick systems, operations, and continuous improvement. Key definitions and highlights of reliable securing will be provided. Hard copy templates will be distributed with the option to obtain electronic copies. A link will be provided where templates and handbooks can be downloaded free of charge.
Engaging the Hearts and Minds of Your Spanish Speaking Contractors
We’ll discuss how Safety must engage the Hearts and Minds of the ones attending, and in their language. We’ll discuss our one-day leadership class that focused on our unofficial and emerging field leaders. How we must engage emotionally and interactively for change to take place in our ESL fields.
Environmental Audits – Risk and Reward
As properties change hands and field activity increase, opportunities arise to reduce risk at both new acquisitions and existing facilities. By using the provisions of state Environmental, Health, and Safety Audit Privilege Acts (Audit Acts), organizations can receive certain immunities from administrative or civil penalties for violations voluntarily disclosed and corrected. This session will cover approaches, goals and realistic expectations for audits. The focus will be audits performed under the TCEQ and Texas Railroad Commission audit rules, as well as other state and federal audit programs. The presentation will also share lessons learned, from defining an audit’s scope, performing the audit, documenting audit findings, preparing disclosures, the compliance resolution process and what it takes to achieve audit closure.
Fatal Cardiac Events Among Oil and Gas Extraction Workers
Oil and gas extraction often occurs in remote, rural locations with limited access to medical care. This presentation will describe a series of fatal cardiac events identified through the NIOSH Fatalities in Oil and Gas Extraction database and highlight opportunities for employers to prevent these events from occurring at their worksites. Between 2014 and 2019 NIOSH identified 75 oil and gas workers who died from a fatal cardiac event that started at work. Toxicology findings from autopsy reports suggested some decedents may have been exposed to hydrogen sulfide or hydrocarbon gases or vapors. Cardiovascular risk factors were documented in 40% of the workers. The presentation will describe strategies employers can consider for cardiovascular disease prevention and treatment, emergency preparedness, medical screening, and enhanced exposure control in the OGE industry. And particular attention will be paid to lone worker programs and technologies.
Mental Health Needs and Challenges Among Workers in the Oil and Gas Extraction Industry
Oil and gas extraction (OGE) workers can experience mental health struggles associated with unique work characteristics in the oilfield, including long commutes, camp living, distance and time spent away from family, as well as physically demanding and mentally stressful work. As a result of such struggles, OGE workers can experience poor outcomes including depression, substance use, and suicide. A brief overview of psychosocial stressors and mental health amongst OGE workers will be presented. The focus of the session will be a panel discussion of personal mental health experiences from two Fly-In Fly-Out (FIFO) OGE workers. The panelists will discuss their experiences and struggles with mental health issues and describe how their work and home lives were affected by the unique demands of working in the oilfield. The presentation will provide insight into the ways in which FIFO workers can manage their mental health and the types of employer support needed to ensure their wellbeing.
Understanding the Requirements of NSPS OOOOb/c and the Implications on O&G Operations
On November 11, 2022, EPA released its long-awaited supplemental proposal to update and expand its November 2021 proposal for new and existing sources in the oil and gas industry. EPA has proposed various changes to requirements for previously affected sources under NSPS OOOOa as well as increased compliance monitoring requirements, and has added new requirements for liquids unloading operations, intermittent-bleed pneumatic controllers and associated gas venting. The supplemental proposal also included additional changes such as the creation of a super emitter program, standards for dry seal centrifugal compressors, and requirements for well closures. NSPS OOOOc includes emission guidelines for states to follow in developing and implementing state plans to establish performance standards in the form of methane limitations for existing oil and gas sources. In this session, we will review the proposed changes under NSPS OOOOb/c and unpack their implications on operations.
Vanishing HSE Skills – Incident Investigations and Reports
As our profession has sought to improve workplace safety, we see less incident frequency and severity, and therefore perform less investigations. Unused skills become rusty… those with investigation experience may forget and less experienced safety professionals may not develop and use investigation skills.A poorly written incident report can demonstrate an embarrassing lack of investigation and report writing skills. The aftermath of a widely shared and poorly written report is an experience that no one should endure. This session is intended to help attendees learn from mistakes others have made in the investigation and reporting process over the years.
Coffee Break – Exhibits Open
(Sponsored By CapturePoint LLC)
Bridging Perspectives on Serious Injury Classification in the Oil and Gas Sector: A Panel Discussion
A Serious Injury or Fatality (SIF) event is an incident or near miss that results in or has the potential to produce a fatal or life-altering injury or illness. In the oil and gas industry, there is not a consistent understanding of the word “serious” which makes creating severity metrics and advancing initiatives aimed at reducing these “serious” incidents difficult. Serious injury classification is influenced by subjective perceptions and uncertainty involved in the assessment of injury cases by medically unqualified safety professionals. Adopting standard definitions of “serious” and “life-altering” should be based on shared understanding by professionals of the psychological or physiological function of body systems. This panel discussion brings together top influencers from the hiring client, contractor, and professional safety communities to frame the debate and offer possible solutions.
Bringing Workers Home Safely Through Improved Inspection Techniques
This presentation will provide the attendees with two perspectives to preparing and conducting on-site audits and inspections at their worksites. Joyce Ryel will present proven industry methods for ensuring jobsites are safe each day. David Bates will provide available OSHA inspection information to improve existing audit and inspection content and techniques. Through this dual demonstration, the audience will obtain some unique approaches to inspecting and training workers with ideas from a very experienced safety and health professional and from the eyes of a previous OSHA manager. The presentation will guide the attendees through OSHA website tools available for adaptation to their safety and health systems for auditing and training their workers.
Development of Comprehensive Scope 1 and Scope 2 Inventories
As the Oil and Gas industry sector is rapidly evolving to enable the transition to a low carbon future, it has become increasingly important for companies to develop an accurate assessment of its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions footprint. EPA’s Mandatory Reporting Rule under 40 CFR Part 98, Subpart W alone does not provide a complete picture of an organization’s Scope 1 GHG inventory and does not include Scope 2. As such, it is critical that companies develop a comprehensive Scope 1 and 2 GHG inventory that includes sources and assets that are not reported under Subpart W. This presentation will discuss how to develop a comprehensive and accurate Scope 1 and 2 GHG inventory that will serve as a foundation of a company’s ESG and sustainability goals and objectives. The presentation will outline the gaps of Subpart W so companies can better understand its boundaries. It will also briefly cover available tools and resources to assist in these efforts.
EPA Regulatory Updates
A session on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulatory updates impacting Oil and Gas production, transmission and storage. More to come.
Intentional Excellence: The Power of Human Performance
I will present an applied approach to analyzing why people do what they do and illustrate a model for the application of intervention strategies to re-enforce positive behaviors and focus on deliberate efforts to change risky behaviors using well established Human Performance techniques.
Key Factors to a Successful Contractor Safety Management Plan
This session will provide attendees an opportunity to examine and discuss best practices and processes to develop an effective contractor safety management process.
Most Frequently Cited Hazards in Oil & Gas
This session will cover the top ten hazards OSHA has cited in the last two years in the oil & gas industry using data collected from the OSHA Information System. The most common violations of each of the top ten OSHA standards will be covered, along with prevention measures to protect workers from the hazards.
New Methods for Learning from Incidents Involving Human & Organizational Performance
Human & Organizational Performance (HOP) issues may be complex and can cover a broad range of disciplines. Investigating unplanned events such as safety incidents and operational problems from the HOP perspective requires a different approach than conventional incident analysis methodologies allow. This presentation offers new methods that can be applied through the entire process of responding to the learning opportunities presented by unplanned events, including data acquisition, analysis, and developing appropriate and optimized corrective actions for HOP causal factors. Key takeaways from this presentation include differentiating between HOP failure types in an unplanned event and quickly developing and validating appropriate corrective actions to maximize organizational learning and future risk reduction.
NORM/TENORM: What Should You Know?
NORM/TENORM is one of many issues EH&S coordinators are charged with the responsibility of managing at their facilities. NORM/TENORM is regulated very differently than other environmental and safety issues, and is a combination of oil and gas practices blended with health physics concepts.The NORM/TENORM industry is driven by litigation and regulations. In order to legally transfer equipment and property among companies and facilities, surveys with scintillators must be performed. Surveying is a critical action when buying, selling, transferring, or moving equipment and material. This presentation will focus on the regulatory framework, legal issues, public perception challenges and solutions, common pitfalls and common issues regarding NORM/TENORM.
Worker Exposure to Respirable Silica and Diesel Particulate Matter During Hydraulic Fracturing
In June of 2012 OSHA and NIOSH released a joint Hazard Alert that identified exposure to airborne silica as a health hazard to workers conducting hydraulic fracturing. The Hazard Alert was in response to NIOSH field studies to evaluate worker exposures to respirable crystalline silica (RCS) during hydraulic fracturing. These research findings identified several sources of airborne RCS and demonstrated that hydraulic fracturing operations present a substantial risk for exposure to RCS for some workers. In the past 10 years, the oil and gas industry has been taking positive steps to reduce exposures through administrative and engineering controls. This session will discuss field studies examining worker exposures to RCS and respirable diesel particulate matter (DPM) during hydraulic fracturing using different systems to handle frac sand and real-time and near-real time monitoring techniques to better characterize exposure risks and prevent occupational illnesses and injuries.
Assessment, Implementation, and Improvement of Process Safety Management System
This presentation highlights the successful partnership between the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) and the Process Safety and Reliability Group (PSRG) in their joint efforts to improve the Process Safety Management (PSM) system. TANAP is part of the Southern Gas Corridor which is extending from Caspian Sea to Italy. TANAP transports Natural Gas from the Shah Deniz gas field of Azerbaijan, and possibly from other neighboring countries, to Turkey and through TAP Pipeline to Europe. TANAP recognizes the utmost importance of maintaining a robust PSM framework to ensure safe and reliable operations. This collaborative initiative aims to enhance various aspects of the PSM system by leveraging the expertise and experience of both TANAP and PSRG. Through rigorous assessment and analysis, potential areas for improvement were identified, leading to the implementation of management of change, process safety culture, measurement and metrics enhancements, and process safety competency.
Best in Class Contractor Management: Data Driven Insights
As the Oil & Gas industry continues driving improvement around contractorsafety, ISN shares data-driven insights based on feedback from industry thought leaders on challenges they face within their organizations and top strategies for developing a best-in-class contractor management program focused on safety culture and reducing serious injuries.
Beyond Compliance: Evidence-Based Strategies for Leading a Decentralized Safety Culture
This presentation explores the benefits of creating a decentralized safety culture, in which individuals are responsible for their own and others’ safety. Attendees learn evidence-based steps to create this culture, and current research about the effects of specific leadership practices on organizations’ culture. The presenters draw from decades of experience creating cultures of “extreme ownership” and “emergent leadership” in areas as diverse as Navy Seals Teams, chemical plants, manufacturing facilities, pharmaceutical laboratories and oilfield crews. Attendees leave the session with a practical roadmap for moving their organization beyond a culture of compliance.
Can You Sleep Tonight with Decisions You Made Today?
At approximately 12:30 am in the middle of October I arrived at one of our mixing facilities. Across the way I saw a co-worker mixing at his facility as well. I saw my great friend and co-worker on top of the mixing plant wearing nothing but boxer shorts and redwings, it was normal for how we worked back then. However, that would be the last time I’d get to work with him. He inhaled a liquid mud additive while trying to unplug a hooper. We were able to get him to the hospital for an evaluation, the chemical had a reaction on his lungs and his breathing got worse by the day till he passed. His family are dear friends to me and my family which means ever time I saw them it was extremely difficult. His daughter and my son were born 3 days apart so watching the kids go through school, driving, and now college has and is a very difficult process for sure. I keep in touch with his daughter, but his wife committed suicide, and her note read “I couldn’t live without him.
Enhancing Behavior Based Safety with Applied Behavior Analysis
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABAApplied Behavior Analysis (ABA) techniques will be presented to enhanced Behavior Based Safety (BBS) programs. Core ABA principles will be presented including discrete trial learning, incidental teaching, verbal behavior, and pivotal response training with integration into BBS.
Getting to Impact: How NIOSH Worked With Partners to Prevent Worker Deaths from Hydrocarbon Gases
In 2015, NIOSH and our partners identified an emerging and previously unrecognized hazard in the oil and gas extraction industry – worker deaths associated with manual tank gauging. Since then, we have worked together to prevent tank gauging fatalities by investigating these events and partnering with industry and OSHA to share what we have learned. As a result of this research and partnership, a new industry standard (API 18.2) was developed which promotes safer alternative methods for crude oil measurement, without the need to open the tank hatch. This session will describe the history of the research, collaboration, and information dissemination which ultimately led to changes in the processes by which tanks are measured and fluids are transferred.
Helping Employees with PTS in the Oil & Gas Industry
At any given time in the United States there are approximately 7 to 10% of employees in the workforce (many in the oil & gas industry) that suffer from some form of Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS). This report covers ways to identify symptoms and triggers for employees and ways that some employees are affected by it. This presentation will also cover a variety of resources and strategies to help safety and health professionals in our industry to work with employees suffering from PTS.
NORA Oil and Gas Extraction Sector Council
During this presentation, participants will learn about the NORA Oil and Gas Extraction Council’s purpose, safety and health priorities, our impact on worker safety and health, current activities, and how to become involved in the council.
Risk Management
Driven by a number of environmental catastrophic incidents that caused injury, evacuations, environmental harm, and death, both in the United States and globally, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s risk management laws and regulations are being cited to protect human health and the environment of our nation. In this presentation, we will walk the regulated community and the general public through the compliance evaluation process regarding the Clean Air Act Sections 112(r)(1) and 112(r)(7), and 40 Code of Federal Regulations Part 68 – Chemical Accident Provisions. We will also explore a case study that highlights the importance of understanding and complying with these risk management requirements to better enhance and maintain a safe and accident-free operating facility.
Update on Oil and Gas Regulatory Activities in Texas Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
Lunch, Linda Berryman Recipients, and Keynote
  • Captain Tammie Jo Shults

(Sponsored by Team Professional Services)

Coffee Break – Exhibits Open
Enhancing Your Speaking Skills Through PowerPoint
Death by PowerPoint is common in many circles and industries. The problem is not the software. The problem begins with the designer or presenter. Copy and paste, bullet points and pictures from the internet are not the answer. The latest versions of PowerPoint offer a wide variety of tools to aid in design, structure and flexibility of any presentation. Participants are encouraged to bring their laptops fully charged to amp up their presentation skills through demonstrations of the techniques and tools within the software.On leaving, there will no longer be the desire to use bullet points. Presentations delivered using the tips and tricks shown will have the look and feel of those done by professional developers. All for free – no additional plugins or other software tools. Come learn and play. Put the POW in PowerPoint.
It’s More than Observations and Feedback – Using Technology to Improve Safety Culture
Creating and sustaining a good culture of safety has long been for many the highest measure for overall program success. This session will explore what data supported technologies are available and to increase your understanding for employing those technologies to improve your safety culture.
Natural Resources and Environment Panel
Substance Abuse in the Workplace: Recent Drug Testing Trends and Insights
Tim Jenney, President of TEAM Companies, will present on workplace drug use trends, including the impact of Marijuana, Fentanyl, and other designer drugs in the workplace, plus actions employers can take to maintain a safe workplace. Through testing data, research, and his professional experience in workplace drug and alcohol program management, Jenney will unpack drug testing as it stands in 2023 and discuss best practices and solutions for employers.
Using Human Performance to Improve Contractor Safety
Contractor Safety Management is absolutely a critical function of effectively managing the safety and health performance during the broad spectrum of work conducted by contractors in any high risk industry. While a poor performing contractor can affect your bottom line, their performance is often looked upon by the general public and potentially the stock holders as your own. We will share some current best practices in the electrical and construction industries and how they can are being employed in the gas and oil industries. Techniques will include the use of well-established Human Performance tools and a platform to capture and score worker behaviors by contractor. This best practice not only helps improve the safety performance of the industry but quality and reliability as a whole. Breakout sessions within this track will share best practices in contractor safety management.
Who’s In Charge Here? An Examination of OSHA’s Multi-Employer Citation Policy
This session seeks to educate attendees on OSHA’s Multi-Employer Citation Policy and OSHRC’s interpretation of that policy over the past 40 years. The session provides a history of the Policy and educates participants on why/how the Policy became a tool for safety and health enforcement. The session identifies the responsibilities of facility owners, contractors, suppliers, and other vendors who might work on a multi-employer worksite or within an industrial/manufacturing facility where multiple entities engage in a common workspace. Attendees will learn how OSHA officers approach multi-employer sites, what questions OSHA is asking on these worksites, and what evidence OSHA seeks in multi-employer inspections. Utilizing past cases brought before OSHRC and the Appellate Courts, attendees will learn what type of conduct equates to “control” under the Policy, and what duties controlling employers owe to the employees of other entities working within a common workspace.
Creating Industry and Academic Training Collaborations
The land grant university mission is to partner with our communities – both near and far – to bring needed and valued solutions to real-life problems within the pillars of education, healthcare and prosperity. Synergistic collaboration between the oil and gas community and academics have resulted in high quality-industry specific, safety and health training programs such as: hazard recognition and abatement, hydrogen sulfide, job safety analysis, driving-transportation, hand and finger injuries, and safety leadership. This session will focus on developing partnerships from the higher education classroom to the wellsite. Attendees will experience the process of identifying targeted training topics, delivering meaningful training for workers and evaluating the effectiveness of safety training programs.
Jurisdictional Boundaries in Midstream – Where is the Line?
Midstream Operations are familiar with the applicability of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials (PHMSA) regulation of the Department of Transportation (DOT) but may not be familiar when, if ever, the Process Safety Management (PSM) regulation of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) applies to their operations. The intent of PHMSA is to cover the transportation of hazardous chemicals while the intent of PSM is to cover processes involving hazardous chemicals. But, where is the line drawn between PHMSA and PSM? Since transportation is regulated by PHMSA, it is clear that pipelines are DOT covered. When the pipeline enters a Midstream facility, the line between transportation and process becomes less clear.
Psychosocial Risks: What are They and Why Should You Care About Them
Psychosocial Risks are relatively new risk factors that we have been hearing about for the last couple of years as an emerging topic. However, these risk factors are not new and have been implemented into various workforces in several countries for over 10 years. In addition, the advent of NIOSH’s Total Worker Health agenda brings these risks to light and gives prevention strategies to help workers thrive in their well-being with safer and healthier work environments. In session, we will talk about psychosocial risk factors and how you can encompass them into your company’s Safety Management System.
Randy’s Story: How An Accident IMPACTS More Than Just You
Randy shares his personal story of an industrial accident he was involved inwhile working on a leaking tank car. How he went from having so much to almost losing it all. The impacts were to his family, coworkers, community and his church. Randy’s presentation will have you on the edge of your seat!
Safely Improving Turnaround Productivity
Innovations in Turnaround Productivity exposes the audience to new best practices in use by Super majors around the world. In use at select US sites today, we discuss the practical application techniques for compliance, process and construction.
Why We Err
The human element is the most flexible and adaptable part of a company’s management system, but it is also the most vulnerable to errors. With the majority of accidents resulting from less than optimum human performance, there has been a tendency to label them as human error. However, the term “human error” is of little help in safety management. How do you fix human error? Although it may indicate where in the system the breakdown occurred, it provides no guidance as to why it occurred. This presentation will define that our brains are comprised of two characters, one that thinks fast, System 1 and one that thinks slow, System 2. System 1 operates automatically, intuitively, involuntary and effortlessly. System 2 requires slowing down, deliberating, solving problems and not jumping to conclusions. Both systems are prone to errors which are the precursors to accidents. This presentation will help the audience recognize how to design effective processes to prevent a re occurrence.
“Think Like an Attorney” Legal Considerations for Safety Professionals
This presentation covers four key areas: (1) preparing your business for an inspection before OSHA knocks on your door; (2) top 10 do’s and don’ts during an OSHA inspection; (3) what to do after OSHA issues citations; and (4) OSHA’s 2023 priorities.Learning Objectives:In this presentation, Brent Kettelkamp will discuss how businesses’ safety professionals play a vital role in mitigating risk for clients when OSHA “comes knocking.” Through a dynamic and interactive presentation, participants will learn how to:· Effectively prepare a business for an inspection before an accident or incident· Diligently prepare for and participate in an OSHA investigation· Avoid the top 10 pitfalls of an inspection· Respond to OSHA’s citations and next steps· Address OSHA’s 2024 priorities
State Environmental Quality Panel
Heat Stress Management on the Worksite – an Overview of Hydration Assessment Technologies
Hydration is a key factor influencing the resilience of workers to heat strain and heat related injuries. Inappropriately managed, heat stress can place significant physical strain on workers, leading to serious and chronic health issues, and dramatically reducing productivity.While workplace-level approaches such as thermal risk assessments and educational initiatives are of vital importance for minimizing dehydration on the worksite, there remains a need for routine and objective assessments to recognise worker-specific hydration needs resulting from inter-individual variability in sweat rate, fitness, and heat acclimatization.This talk will compare and contrast the various technologies which can be used to assess hydration, including wearables, physical symptoms, self-reported metrics, and blood, saliva and urine biomarkers, with particular focus on the feasibility, reliability and accuracy of each approach.
Motivate and Educate
The oilfield is dependent on acquiring and retaining a competent workforce. Education and training are key components in achieving optimum safety and operational performance. The purpose of the breakout session is to review strategies for teaching in the workplace. The body covering the main points would consist of reviewing six learning styles. The six learning styles would consist of visual, auditory, kinesthetic, verbal, individual, and socio-interpersonal. Instructor-driven versus student-driven learning styles will be presented to provide a foundation of teaching methods. A comparison between pedagogy and andragogy will be made to highlight the importance of student and instructor interaction. In conclusion, summarizing and highlighting the significance of teaching the adult learner will be made to aid the instructor in developing better learning outcomes and improved competencies.
Preparing for an OSHA Inspection: What Companies Wish They Had Done Before OSHA Citations
The OSH Act gave OSHA the power to fine employers for OSHA violations. Recently, penalties have increased by 8%, ranging from thousands to $156,925 for severe violations. Violations can lead to reputation damage, negative ESG scores, and missed opportunities worth millions. Understanding OSHA’s impact on business is crucial. OSHA and companies share a common goal: ensuring that workers return home safely from their jobs every day. Achieving this goal involves implementing effective safety and health systems for both your employees and subcontractor employees. OSHA’s role in ensuring workplace safety may intersect with your own efforts.In this interactive presentation, learn from the experts and their experiences with OSHA encounters and provide you with methods and techniques to develop policies and practices that can be employed when such situations arise.
PSM 101
Are you new to Process Safety? Do you find yourself wondering what all the acronyms stand for? Have you wondered why we have Process Safety? This presentation will review where Process Safety came from, what the Process Safety Management regulation means, how Process Safety applies in today’s climate, and we will look at some incidents that have been attributed to a lack of Process Safety. We will also illustrate how OSHA’s PSM and EPA’s Risk Management Program work together to provide a full-plant solution. You will leave with the ability to better communicate with others in the industry by understanding the history and terminology and you will be able to impress your friends by talking in full acronym sentences. Additionally, the PSM Standard has not been updated since it was first introduced, however there are proposals now to modify the regulation. We will talk about those potential changes and what that means for PSM going forward.
Risky Behaviors, Risky Business: A Focus on Behavior-Based Safety
This session focuses on understanding risk factors for poor compliance, what companies and managers can do to increase employee motivation for safety, and how to increase employee motivation for proactively creating and maintaining a continuously safer workplace.
Suspension & Fall Trauma: Improving Patient Outcomes
Suspension and fall trauma has been addressed incorrectly for the past 40+ years due to the procedures were based off of hypothesis which was completely wrong. Individuals that died due to suspension trauma was based off of “toxin” buildup in the lower extremities and the belief was that when they were lowered those toxins were the cause of sudden cardiac arrest and to “slow” that process down, you would sit a patient up rather than lay them down. The fact of the matter that it is not toxins, but rather blood clots that are killing individuals. On top of the fact that a patient may be conscious initially but if not rescued in a timely manner, then may become unconscious within 10 min due to blood volume depletion being constrained in the lower extremities. These are preventable deaths if handled properly when harness safety adjuncts either are not used or fail during an emergency.
Team-Based Safety for Shutdowns and Turnarounds
Industrial Scientific will delve into the critical topic of team-based safety for shutdowns and turnarounds in the oil and gas industry. Join the session and gain practical insights and strategies to enhance safety performance, minimize risks, and ensure the success of shutdown and turnarounds.
Reception – Exhibits Open

Conference Registration Check-in Open
Continental Breakfast – Exhibits Open
Second Day Opening Remarks and Door Prizes
  • Cassandra Smith, Executive Director, The University of Texas at Arlington, Conference Administrative Co- Chair
  • Milind Bhatte, Methane Measurement Manager for Lower 48, ConocoPhillips, Conference Industry Co-Chair
Featured Speakers
  • Tamara L. Brown, Ph.D., Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, The University of Texas at Arlington
  • Earthea Nance, Ph.D., P.E. , Regional Administrator for Region 6, Environmental Protection Agency
Are YOU All in For Safety?
Have you struggled to get safety buy-in? Don’t worry, you are not alone, we all have. All in For Safety shares the failures and success of gaining buyin across all levels of an organization. Hear what hasn’t worked and what has worked and walk away with solutions!
Federal Oil and Gas Updates: NSPS OOOO/a/b/c
On November 11, 2022, EPA released the pre-publication New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) OOOOb & OOOOc proposed rule language focused on methane reductions from the Oil and Natural Gas Industry. The draft rules come after review of 470,000 written comments on the draft preamble published November 15, 2021. The proposed rules will have the potentially to impact all new Oil and Gas facilities under NSPS OOOOb and eventually all existing Oil and Gas facilities under NSPS OOOOc. This session will discuss cover the major changes and expected impacts to oil and gas facilities under NSPS OOOOb and OOOOc.
Safety Doesn’t Have To Be Hard: 3 Steps To Creating A Simple, Efficient Program
It’s easy to get caught up and overwhelmed by the complexities of a Safety Program, whether it’s implementation across teams, too many systems, or decentralization across departments. And it’s costing you precious time and resources. But Safety doesn’t have to be this hard. The trick is to focus on 3 steps: Engagement, Process and Analysis.Join KPA’s Solutions Consultant, Dale Golgart, as he discusses how to simplify your program. You’ll learn:•Steps that Safety leaders can take to be more efficient and save time each day•How to reduce manual processes and automate data collection and reporting•Simple actions to create more engagement across the organization •How to ensure executive teams are bought in
Safety Leadership and Culture Assessment: Are Employees Engaged in a Safety Program?
Many companies in oil and gas have used Safety Culture Maturity Models (SCMMs) to understand the state of safety of culture maturity. This helps leaders and safety professionals design and implement strategies to improve productivity, operational resilience, and total safety performance. A new way of looking at safety culture involves assessing safety maturity against a measure of employee engagement. Employee Engagement has been identified as a critical factor for improved safety performance and an increase in financial and quality performance. A critical element of the Safety Culture Maturity Curve (SCMC) is the recognition, and active participation, of senior leadership in a company. Questions and the assessment of the SCMC will differ from past models, but results will give a company an idea of the current state of employee participation, and a roadmap for improvement.
Sustainability and Management of Change Considerations for Capital Projects
With stakeholder focus on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) and the growing number of companies making climate change and decarbonization commitments, planning for capital projects has become much more complicated than it was 20 years ago. In the past, a capital project’s environmental requirements were dictated solely by regulations such as the Clean Air Act or Clean Water Act. Today, in addition to the regulatory landscape, environmental managers and project engineers need to navigate stakeholder expectations related to sustainable development, community impacts, and the potential risks and opportunities a new project may pose. In this session, we will review sustainability and management of change (MOC) considerations for capital projects including: the overall impacts and ESG drivers; assessing project GHG emissions and impacts to decarbonization goals; and updates to MOC practices including the addition of climate-related impacts in support of sustainability strategy.
The First Step Toward Change is Awareness: Potential Changes to the PSM Standard
This presentation will discuss the potential changes to the scope of PSM standard and the potential changes to the elements of the standard. Impacts of the potential changes will be evaluated, with a focus on effects to the oil & gas industry (upstream, midstream, and downstream). Lastly, this presentation will provide insight on how newly impacted oil & gas operations can “right size” the implementation of a PSM program should the changes go into effect.
The Psychology of Risk Homeostasis: Why Smart Technology Makes Us Take More Risks
In this session we’ll discuss studies that show the impact of technology: how we take more risks because of it, and how it can actually thwart safety efforts through risk homeostasis. Learn how these limitations can be overcome by the application of sound cognitive psychological principles.
The Value in Including SIF as a Fundamental Piece of Your HSE Program
Technological innovation, an evolving work environment, and a changing global landscape have rendered the energy industry virtually unrecognizable from what it was fifty years ago. Despite this progress in nearly every aspect, HSE (Health Safety Environmental) reporting and management has remained largely unchanged. Since the 1970 OSHA Act, TRIR (Total Recordable Incident Rate) has remained the standard key performance indicator for HSE adherence. A transformative companywide HSE reporting initiative is presented, focusing on the prevention of SIFs (serious injuries or fatalities). Focusing on the prevention of SIFs, ensures that employees’ safety is prioritized and ultimately results in a reduction of risk for the business.
TRI for Natural Gas Plants: First Year Recap and Lessons Learned
With the first year of Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) reporting for natural gas plants completed, this presentation will focus on challenges, roadblocks, and lessons learned from Reporting Year 2022. After assisting companies submit over a thousand Form Rs for hundreds of gas plants, we will share improvements to be made before next year’s reporting season. A brief background on TRI will be provided. With TRI reports heavily scrutinized due to environmental justice and ESG reporting initiatives, the accuracy of these reports is more important than ever before. Any feedback received from EPA during initial review will be shared. Discussion of what to do in the event that a company missed the July 1, 2023 deadline will also be included.
Waters of the US Regulation Changes Again?
Waters of the US professionals have had to keep up with a lot over the past 20+ years; lawsuits, supreme court rulings, revised definitions, and injunctions are just a few of the pieces of the Waters of the US puzzle over time. This presentation will start at the begining and give a brief overview of the history of Waters of the US regulations, highlight some of the key court cases along the way, discuss the back and forth definitions we saw during the Obama and Trump administrations, and finish with the current definition of Waters of the US.
Coffee Break – Exhibits Open
Bringing Workers Home Safe From High Hazard Jobs: An Interactive Examination of SIF Incidences
In the last 12 years, 60,000 American workers lost their lives on the job, and serious injuries are increasing across industries. In 2021, the US reported 5,190 fatal work injuries, with a worker dying every 101 minutes from work-related causes. Despite progress in reducing non-fatal injuries, we struggle to address the causes of severe harm to workers. Many traditional training programs and policies blame workers instead of addressing underlying issues. Through the analysis of real case studies, this interactive presentation explores how to identify and control hazards during the design phase of work, emphasizing proactive measures to prevent or minimize mistakes, and making job sites safer for everyone.
Choosing Relevant Upstream KPIs
API RP 754 and IOGP 456 discuss the industry standard Tier 1 and Tier 2 Lagging Key Performance Indicators and give ideas for developing your own Tier 3 and Tier 4 Leading Indicators that are applicable to upstream activities. We will review the rationale for KPIs to better understand the goals of reporting and how they are able to help your organization reduce process safety incidents, including reviewing incidents that have occurred that show the importance of measuring leading indicators. And we will discuss what those discretionary indicators might be and how to identify metrics within your organization to get the results you want to prevent Process Safety Incidents. This session will investigate some of the indicators from API RP 754 and IOGP 456 and others not mentioned, and we will discuss how to evaluate them to get the right ones for your application.
ESG Drivers for the Oil and Gas Sector
The Oil and Gas sector is set to play a critical role in the transformation to a net-zero economy. To facilitate this transformation, there is an increasingly complex web of internal and external drivers that companies must navigate and prepare for. To this end, it is in a company’s best interests to recognize and understand the various ESG drivers as they present significant risks and opportunities for an organization. This presentation will discuss the specific ESG drivers with implications for the O&G sector, including but not limited to federal and state regulations, policies, and incentives, stakeholder pressure, supply chain requirements and voluntary industry initiatives. This will include a brief overview of the proposed regulations under the New Source Performance Standards, EPA GHG Reporting Program Changes, and Inflation Reduction Act Methane Emission Reduction Program (IRA MERP) Methane Waste Charge, among others.
LDAR Monitoring Plans and Compliance with NSPS Appendix K
Maintaining an accurate leak detection and repair (LDAR) monitoring program is a vital way for oil and gas operators to ensure compliance with local and federal regulations, limit reputational risk, and save money. Industry had previously been given wide latitude to determine what monitoring plans should entail as long as they were compliant with applicable regulations. The current administration has released a set of requirements (NSPS Appendix K) that will substantially increase the rigor of LDAR inspections and requirements for the associated monitoring plan. This presentation will provide guidance as to what updates should be made to LDAR monitoring plans and inspections to meet the increased demands of Appendix K.
Pipeline Safety Management Systems (SMS): Contractor Safety Programs Integration
The American Petroleum Institute (API) published API RP 1173 Pipeline Safety Management Systems (PSMS) to provide guidance in the development and maintenance of a SMS. The RP establishes a framework for companies that operate hazardous liquids and gas pipelines. Receiving PSMS Assessment feedback, it was determined that the contractor and service provider community could use additional guidance to help them integrate their safety programs into an operator’s PSMS. In 2022, API and the joint Pipeline SMS Industry Team published Pipeline SMS: A Contractor’s Guide. In 2023, a contactor tool was developed to assist contractors and service providers to identify gaps and mature their safety programs that support Pipeline SMS. The tool is scalable based on the size of the organization, the scope of work and can be a valuable tool in starting the PSMS journey. Here, we will review the guide, the tool and how these should be used to better integrate programs to better manage pipeline safety.
Risk Factors that Contribute to Cardiac, Heat Stress, and Substance Use Related Fatalities
This presentation will highlight risk factors that contribute to fatalities due to cardiac events, heat stress, and substance use in U.S. oil and gas extraction (OGE) workers. Industry-specific prevention strategies will be presented with a goal of reducing these types of events. This analysis was conducted using information contained in the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Fatalities in Oil and Gas Extraction (FOG) database. The FOG database was developed with industry partners to better understand and address factors contributing to worker fatalities in the U.S. OGE industry, an industry with historically elevated worker fatality rates. Through FOG we are able to capture industry-specific factors related to each fatality and identify trends and emerging issues among OGE workers that may not be captured in other surveillance systems.
Safety Trainers Bootcamp
The quality of your safety training is one of the biggest determinants of workplace safety outcomes. Great training that engages people can go a long way toward improving compliance and driving down injury rates. But the opposite is also true—dry, uninspired training can mean that attendees will ignore more than they learn.This professional development session will teach you how to inject a healthy dose of entertainment into your safety training. You’ll learn techniques and tips to improve personal training skills, and will have the opportunity to develop several practical principles that will let you engage workers while providing them with a vital safety education.This session is for anyone who suffers from lackluster safety engagement or who needs a refresher on how to break through employee complacency during safety training.
Transforming Data to Improve Safety
Have you ever had data that you wish you could do something with? Was that data coming from free text fields? You’re not alone. New technology advancements have changed the data landscape and how we can utilize data from free text fields, including from Oxy’s Incident Management Systems (IMS).
When Your Safety Program is on Display in Court
There is no easy way around it; safety professionals are exposed to the legal process firsthand. Depositions and going to court are a reality. It’s unnerving. It’s uncomfortable. Like it or not, in the profession of safety, it is in your future. Over the last five years, I have served as the designated expert in nearly 200 legal actions. From injured employees to OSHA challenges and more than my fair share of fatalities. My job is somewhat of an arm-chair quarterback to the accident that left someone maimed or dead. This presentation teaches the safety professional how to prepare for the legal experience as well as build a firm foundation from guys like me. From writing a solid safety program, to deposition, and the court process attendees will get a lighthearted peek into the legal process from a safety professionals’ perspective.
Hazards and Mitigation Strategies Among Oil and Gas Extraction Workers
Numerous health and safety hazards exist at oil and gas extraction (OGE) worksites; however, limited information is available describing the extent to which OGE workers encounter these hazards. Information about the degree to which particular hazard mitigation strategies, including personal protective equipment (PPE), have been implemented at worksites is also limited. This presentation will highlight findings from a cross-sectional survey conducted by researchers from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) from a sample of 500 U.S. OGE workers at worksites in Colorado, North Dakota, and Texas between 2017 and 2019. This presentation will describe the types of hazardous exposures workers reported and how these self-reported exposures differed by company type. The availability of training, PPE requirements and use, and employer safety policies will also be discussed as well as recommendations for employer mitigation strategies.
If I Knew Then What I Know Now
A panel of Safety and Health Professionals with many years of experience and learned knowledge in the oil and gas industry will share useful nuggets of knowledge for those individuals early on in their safety and health careers.
It Won’t Happen to Me: Preparing Your Emergency Response Team for the Worst
This session would cover OSHA basics pertaining to Emergency Response Teams and the responsibilities of the employer that revolve around basic to worst case scenarios where injuries or death are probable. We will dive into the minimum required training as outlined by OSHA as well as potential additional training that should be considered in order to effectively mitigate mass casualty situations and events so that property and lives can be saved.
Managing Water in the Oil and Gas Industry
This session will look at a variety of waters (effluents) that are generated at oil and gas related sites including construction stormwater, industrial stormwater and process wastewaters. Explore the management and discharge options, including discharge to surface water, discharge to sanitary sewer, and land application. Discuss how wastewater becomes a solid waste if not authorized for discharge by an NPDES permit. The session will consist of three modules: The first module will review how effluent can affect receiving streams and the risks of degrading surface water quality.The second module will focus on construction related water management, including the development of erosion and sediment controls, BMP Plans, and variations between federal and state-mandated programs. The last module will focus on operational effluent management, including permitting, monitoring and reporting requirements, and responses to exceedances in the discharge.
Mastering the Five Core Capacities for Safety Excellence
Forecasting Tomorrow: The Future of Safety Excellence, by Shawn Michael Galloway identified four commonalities among the most excellent organizations in safety performance and culture. This session explores how these synergize to produce sustainable cultures of safety excellence.Balance case studies with practical execution guidance focused on the creation of safety strategy, leadership development and alignment at all levels, cultural enhancement, and employee engagement and peer to peer coaching.
Ready Your Troops: Assessing Workplace Demands & Readiness Policies
Most companies have ways to ensure that employees are physically ready for work, and we generally can describe the physical demands of a job. But what about mental readiness? Can we also describe the cognitive, social, and psychological demands of a job, including stress tolerance? This session focuses on how to effectively address mental and behavioral factors, including drugs and alcohol, in designing job demands and readiness policies. The presentation will cover understanding the non-physical job demands for employees, practical ways to assess those demands, what employers can put into place to assess work readiness, how to ensure a psychologically safe and encouraging work environments, and effectively accommodating psychological needs and disabilities for appropriate fit for duty evaluations.
Real-Time Exposure Monitoring: Providing More Than A Warning of Unsafe Conditions
Real-time monitors are an essential resource to notify workers of potentially hazardous conditions. Yet these monitors are more than just an alarm, they often collect and provide essential data that can be used to assess exposures where high concentrations and/or IDLH conditions are possible. This presentation will discuss potential strategies and opportunities to utilize data from personal monitors to better protect worker health and safety. -Real-time personal exposure monitors are an essential resource to notify workers of potentially hazardous conditions. -Real-time monitors are more than just an alarm, they often collect and provide critical data that can be used to assess exposures where high concentrations and/or IDLH conditions are possible. -Improper selection, maintenance, and/or use of gas detection meters has been a contributing factor to multiple accidents and fatalities. -Familiarity with equipment and manufacturer recommendations can help employers
Suicide Prevention and Intervention in the Oil and Gas Industry
The breakout session would focus on suicide prevention. The Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction Industry experience the highest rate of suicides among workers in the United States, according to the CDC. The body covering the main topics would include risk factors, warning signs, and how to ask if someone is considering suicide would be key areas of focus. Precursor for oilfield worker suicides would be reviewed such as coworkers struggling with working long shifts for long periods of time without seeing their families. A guide to prevention and intervention strategies would be reviewed. One of the prevention and intervention strategies would be the five action steps for suicide prevention will be presented. In conclusion, summarizing and highlighting the significance of suicide prevention and intervention would be reviewed.
What to Expect When You’re Inspected
An environmental inspection can be a stressful experience, especially if you are unsure of where to start preparing. To successfully facilitate an effortless inspection, you will need to identify which agency is requesting the inspection (if announced) and the likely focus of the inspection. This session will address the importance of developing an inspection preparation process, including organizing records and effective resource allocation. It will also provide some key information for working through the most common inspection challenges, including best practices for navigating potential findings and follow-up discussions with inspectors.
Lunch, Keynote Speaker, and Door Prizes
  • Steven Van Cohen
Coffee Break – Exhibits Open
Bridge to Excellence: Building Capacity for Sustainable Performance
When talking about moving from a ‘have-to’ to a ‘want-to’ culture, from compliance to culture, or from good to great, it is much more productive when there are visual models that allow leaders to identify precisely where they are, where they are trying to go, and what to focus on to get there. Since 2008, the Bridge to Safety Excellence model has been a visual representation thousands of organizations have leveraged to convey the precise elements to be addressed to close the gap between compliance and culture, and discover where they are on the path to sustainable excellence. Explore where you and your organization are within this model, and learn how to address each component, step by step.
Going from Good to Great – Transforming Safety Performance with Technology
Safety professionals have access to more safety technologies now than ever before. However, there’s still a majority of organizations still working on paper and spreadsheets within siloed data systems unable to achieve great performance. This session will cover technology solutions and key applications that will transform safety programs for the better. Attendees will learn: 1. New Technologies available to the Safety Professional. 2. Core Safety Applications that build a better Safety Management System. 3. Technologies that will improve training and communication. 4. Using big data and prescriptive analytics to improve performance. 5. How to improve safety from your mobile device. In addition, a technical paper will be offered to those in attendance.
Land Reclamation Using Native Plants
Establishing native vegetation in any restoration project can be a challenging task. Knowing when to plant, what to plant, and how to plant are the main keys to success. Knowing what kinds of seeds to use on a specific site is very important. Bamert Seed Company has worked with Colorado State University to develop a web application to easily identify a project area of interest (AOI) and provide information on native species composition for the AOI. The tool will provide a list of commercially available species that correspond to the plants that grow natively in the AOI and intuitively walk the user through developing a site-specific native seed blend. Users will have the ability to adjust the seeding rate based on their establishment objectives and seeding method they will be using. The way the seed is applied is equally as important as selecting the correct seed. We will discuss the different types of equipment used in reclamation and the ideal seeding timeframes as well.
Reducing Liability Pertaining to Workplace Safety & CBD
We will cover how to reduce employer liability when considering the use of CBD by employees. Topics will include proper and correct drug testing, setting up workplace policies, and all the aspects pertaining to what CBD is and how in certain instances it could have negative consequences if not set up properly. The session will be educational for both management and employees as we will also cover the risks versus benefits of what is currently available to anyone legally in the United States.
The SafeLandUSA Orientation for Onshore Energy Industry – Update and Path Forward
SafelandUSA Instructor-led fundamental safety training has become essential for ensuring the safety of new workers in the US oil and gas sector. This fundamental safety review training benefits the workers by ensuring all employees receive the same foundational safety education. This is a new presentation on the organization’s journey to reach over 1.5 million students completing the course. The reasons for success and the steps to prepare the next generation of workers to identify and understand the hazards of working in the Oil and Gas Sector.
The Value of Safety Leadership Engagement in the Energy Business
In today’s cyclical energy business, the value of leadership engagement in all aspects of the business, particularly in field operations related to safety is not only recognized, but critical for successful delivery of safe production. Immediate questions may come to mind such as, why is leadership engagement so important to safety performance? Why does it matter so much and how does it relate to the business plan? Is there really a link between operational excellence and top safety results? What tools or systems have been effective from an oil and gas operator’s perspective to better have workforce engagement in safety leadership aspects? How do you implement such programs and where do you even begin? This topic will dive into each of these questions in detail and will provide answers with strategies and best practices that have been proven to be effective. Key concepts will be covered, including framing your leadership engagement program and obtaining leadership buy-in from the top.
What’s NEW in Oil & Gas
The emphasis on Environmental & Social Governance (ESG) principals and objectives and the general public’s perception of the oil & gas industry is pushing the oil & gas industry to new ventures. These include increased environmental awareness and friendliness trends in the operational realm.This presentation will discuss the procedures and projects the oil & gas industry are undertaking regarding methane reduction, carbon capture and sequestration, RNG and RSG.
Conference Closing

Managing Industrial and Hazardous Waste (Workshop)

4 Hours | 0.4 CEUs

This course covers the state-specific regulations for managing hazardous and industrial waste in Texas. Topics include: Texas regulations vs. Federal regulations, hazardous and industrial wastes classification, identifying and managing Texas-Specific universal wastes, regulatory exclusions and exceptions, preparing the Hazardous waste manifest, recordkeeping and reporting requirements in Texas, as well as pollution prevention planning.

OSHA #7845 Recordkeeping Rule Seminar

4 Hours | 0.4 CEUs

This course covers the OSHA requirements for maintaining and posting records of occupational injuries and illnesses and reporting specific cases to OSHA. Students will have the ability to identify OSHA requirements for record keeping, posting, and reporting occupational injuries and illnesses and be able to complete the OSHA Form 300 Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses, the OSHA Form 300A Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses, and the OSHA Form 301 Injury and Illness Incident Report.