Common Health, Safety and Environmental Concerns in Upstream Oil and Gas Sector: Implications for HSE Management in Ghana

Seth Oppong

doi:10.7336/academicus.2014.09.07

Authors

Seth Oppong University of Botswana: Gaborone, South-East District, Botswana 0000-0003-1977-5538

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7336/academicus.2014.09.07

Abstract

This paper explores the literature to identify common occupational injuries, diseases, and psychological wellbeing on oil rigs as well as the negative environmental impacts of the upstream oil and gas sector. It ends by making recommendations for effective health, safety, and environmental (HSE) management. Review of the literature showed that contusion (bruise), cuts, and laceration are the commonest occupational injuries that workers on the oil rig suffer and that the injuries mostly affect the hand and finger, leg, and eyes of the offshore workers. These injuries were found to be caused mostly by direct stroke, jamming and overstrain. Similarly, accidental poisoning, musculoskeletal disorders, respiratory disorders and diseases of the digestive system were also documented as the commonest occupational diseases among offshore workers. The literature also shows that working offshore is associated with poorer psychological wellbeing or health; this is to say that offshore workers tend to experience higher levels of stress, burnout, anxiety, depression, low job satisfaction (particularly with the environmental conditions associated with their work), and sleep disorders. Finally, the literature review indicated that land-use problems, air pollution, acid rain, climate change, habitat disruption, environmental degradation, oil spills and leakages are some of environmental impacts of upstream oil production. This review was concluded by recommending some measures for the management of the HSE hazards associated with the oil and gas sector.

Keywords:

Oil and Gas, Ghana, Occupational injuries, Psychological wellbeing, Environmental Impact, HSE

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References

Adei, D. & Kunfaa, E. Y. (2007). Occupational Health and Safety Policy in the Operations of the Wood Processing Industry in Kumasi, Ghana. Journal of Science and Technology, 27 (2), 163 – 171.
Atwater, E. (1990). Psychology of Adjustment: Personal Growth in a Changing World (4th ed.). Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Arthur, P. 2007. Development Institutions and Small-Scale Enterprises in Ghana. Journal of Contemporary African Studies 25 (3) (From WIEGO OHS for Informal Worker Project Ghana, March 2009, Abstract).
Asare, J. B. (2010). Mental Health Profile (Ghana) 2003. Unpublished Manuscript. Accra, Ghana Health Service.
Bosma, H., Marmot, M. G., Hemingway, H., Nicholson, A. C., Brunner, E., & Stansfeld, S. A. (1997). Low job control and risk of coronary heart disease in Whitehall II (prospective cohort) study. Behavioural Medicine Journal, 314:558- 565.
Bresic, J., Knezevic, B., Milosevic, M., Tomljanovic, T., Golubovic, R., & Mustajbegovic, J. (2007). Stress and Work Ability in Oil Company workers. Arh Hig Rada Toksikol, 58, 399 – 405.
Center for Democratic Development (2008, August). Ghana’s Oil Discovery and Resource Curse. Democracy Watch, Volume 8, No. 1, 1 – 4.
Chen, W. Q., Yu, I. T-S., & Wong, T. W. (2005). Impact of occupational stress and other psychosocial factors on musculoskeletal pain among Chinese offshore oil installation workers. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 62:251–256.
Chen, W., Huang, Z., Yu, D., Lin, Y., Ling, Z., & Tang, J. (2002). An exploratory study on occupational stress and work-related unintentional injury in off-shore oil production. Zhonghua Liu Xing Bing Xue Za Zhi, 23, 441-444.
Cook, N. (2010). Ghana, an Emergent Oil Producer: Background and U.S. Relations. Congressional Research Service, 7-5700, www.crs.gov. RS22809.
Cooper, D. (2006). The Impact of Management’s Commitment on Employee Behaviour: A Field Study. Paper Presented at the 7the Professional Development Conference & Exhibition, of American Society of Safety Engineers – Middle East Chapter, Kingdom of Bahrain,
Cooper, M. D., & Phillips, R. A. (2004). Exploratory analysis of the safety climate and safety behavior relationship. Journal of Safety Research, 35, 497– 512.
Diener, E., Sub, E. M., Lucas, R. E., & Smith, H. L. (1999). Subjective well-being: Three decades of progress. Psychological Bulletin, 125(2), 276-302.
Epstein, P. R. & Selber, J. (March 2002). Oil: A Life Cycle Analysis of Its Health and Environmental Impacts. Boston, Massachusetts, The Center for Health and the Global Environment, Harvard Medical School, Harvard University.
Health and Safety Executive (1997). “The costs to Britain of workplace accidents and work related ill health in 1995/1996”. Sudbury: HSE Books.
General Reinsurance Africa Ltd. (2005). Drilling for Oil: Offshore Rigs and Production Platforms –The Personnel Involved and the Risk They Face. Retrieved February 29, 2008 from the World Wide Web: htpp://www.genre.com.
Ghana Health Service/Ministry of Health (2002). Handbook on Occupational Health. Accra, Ghana: Authors.
Ghana National Commission for UNESCO. (2009). Energy: Working towards increased availability. Retrieved October 4, 2009 from the World Wide Web: http://www.natcomreport.com/ghana/livre/Energy.pdf.
Griffin, J. M., Fuhrer, R., Stansfeld, S. A., & Marmot, M. (2002). The importance of low control at work and home on depression and anxiety: do these effects vary by gender and social class? Social Science Medicine, 54, 783-798.
International Labour Organisation (2005). Facts on Safety at Work. Retrieved October 4, 2009 from the World Wide Web: http://www.ilo.org/ wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/documents/publication/ wcms_067574.pdf.
International Labour Organisation (2009). World Day for Safety And Health at Work 2009 Facts on Safety and Health At Work. Retrieved October 4, 2009 from the World Wide Web: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/--- dgreports/---dcomm/documents/publicat
Jensen, O. C., Søren Sen, J. F. L., Canals, M. L., Hu, J., Nikolic, N., & Mozer, A. A. (2005). Non-Fatal Occupational Injuries Related to Slips, Trips and Falls In Seafaring. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 47:161 – 171.
Luthans, F. (2005). Organizational Behavior (10th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (pp. 278 – 280).
National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling (January 2011). Deep Water: The Gulf Oil Disaster and the Future of Offshore Drilling; Report to the President. Retrieved May 31, 2011 from http:// www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/GPO-O
Oppong, S. (2011). Health & Safety: Theory and Practice in the Oil and Gas Sector. Saarbrücken, Germany: VDM Publishing House Ltd (ISBN: 978-3-639- 36220-6).
Oppong, S. (2010). Preparedness of Ghana to Manage Occupational health and Safety in the Oil and Gas Industry. Unpublished Manuscript, Regent University College of Science & Technology, Ghana.
Parkes, K. R. (2002). Part I: Review of Literature. In K. R. Parkes (Ed.) Psychosocial aspects of work and health in the North Sea oil and gas industry: Summaries of reports published 1996 – 2001. Research Report 002 Prepared by the University of Oxford f
Parkes, K. R. (2010). Offshore working time in relation to performance, health and safety: A review of current practice and evidence. Research Report RR772 Prepared by the University of Oxford for the Health and Safety Executive.
Powell, T. (2004). The UK Offshore Sector – A Situation Report. Business Briefing: Exploration & Production: The Oil and Gas Review, 42 – 45.
Schouwenaars, E. (2008). The Risks Arising from Major Accident Hazards: Lessons from the Past, Opportunities for the Future. Retrieved October 4, 2009 from World Wide Web: http://www.dnv.nl/Binaries/Paper%20Refining%20 Management%20Forum%20Copenhagen_tcm1
Spurgeon, A. & Cooper, C. L. (2000). Working Time, Health, and Performance. International Review of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Vo. 15, 189 – 222.
The E&P Forum/ UNEP (1997). Environmental management in oil and gas exploration and production: An overview of issues and management approaches. UNEP IE/PAC Technical Report 37 (Paris)/E&P Forum Report 2.72/254 (London): Authors.
Valentic, D., Stojanovic, D., Micovic, V., & Vukelic, M. (2005). Work-related Diseases and Injuries on an Oil Rig. International Maritime Health, 56, (1) 4, 56 – 66.
van Dijk, F. J. H., & Swaen, G. M. H. (2003). Fatigue at work. Occupational Environmental Medicine, 60 (Suppl.1):1-2.

References

Adei, D. & Kunfaa, E. Y. (2007). Occupational Health and Safety Policy in the Operations of the Wood Processing Industry in Kumasi, Ghana. Journal of Science and Technology, 27 (2), 163 – 171.

Atwater, E. (1990). Psychology of Adjustment: Personal Growth in a Changing World (4th ed.). Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Arthur, P. 2007. Development Institutions and Small-Scale Enterprises in Ghana. Journal of Contemporary African Studies 25 (3) (From WIEGO OHS for Informal Worker Project Ghana, March 2009, Abstract).

Asare, J. B. (2010). Mental Health Profile (Ghana) 2003. Unpublished Manuscript. Accra, Ghana Health Service.

Bosma, H., Marmot, M. G., Hemingway, H., Nicholson, A. C., Brunner, E., & Stansfeld, S. A. (1997). Low job control and risk of coronary heart disease in Whitehall II (prospective cohort) study. Behavioural Medicine Journal, 314:558- 565.

Bresic, J., Knezevic, B., Milosevic, M., Tomljanovic, T., Golubovic, R., & Mustajbegovic, J. (2007). Stress and Work Ability in Oil Company workers. Arh Hig Rada Toksikol, 58, 399 – 405.

Center for Democratic Development (2008, August). Ghana’s Oil Discovery and Resource Curse. Democracy Watch, Volume 8, No. 1, 1 – 4.

Chen, W. Q., Yu, I. T-S., & Wong, T. W. (2005). Impact of occupational stress and other psychosocial factors on musculoskeletal pain among Chinese offshore oil installation workers. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 62:251–256.

Chen, W., Huang, Z., Yu, D., Lin, Y., Ling, Z., & Tang, J. (2002). An exploratory study on occupational stress and work-related unintentional injury in off-shore oil production. Zhonghua Liu Xing Bing Xue Za Zhi, 23, 441-444.

Cook, N. (2010). Ghana, an Emergent Oil Producer: Background and U.S. Relations. Congressional Research Service, 7-5700, www.crs.gov. RS22809.

Cooper, D. (2006). The Impact of Management’s Commitment on Employee Behaviour: A Field Study. Paper Presented at the 7the Professional Development Conference & Exhibition, of American Society of Safety Engineers – Middle East Chapter, Kingdom of Bahrain,

Cooper, M. D., & Phillips, R. A. (2004). Exploratory analysis of the safety climate and safety behavior relationship. Journal of Safety Research, 35, 497– 512.

Diener, E., Sub, E. M., Lucas, R. E., & Smith, H. L. (1999). Subjective well-being: Three decades of progress. Psychological Bulletin, 125(2), 276-302.

Epstein, P. R. & Selber, J. (March 2002). Oil: A Life Cycle Analysis of Its Health and Environmental Impacts. Boston, Massachusetts, The Center for Health and the Global Environment, Harvard Medical School, Harvard University.

Health and Safety Executive (1997). “The costs to Britain of workplace accidents and work related ill health in 1995/1996”. Sudbury: HSE Books.

General Reinsurance Africa Ltd. (2005). Drilling for Oil: Offshore Rigs and Production Platforms –The Personnel Involved and the Risk They Face. Retrieved February 29, 2008 from the World Wide Web: htpp://www.genre.com.

Ghana Health Service/Ministry of Health (2002). Handbook on Occupational Health. Accra, Ghana: Authors.

Ghana National Commission for UNESCO. (2009). Energy: Working towards increased availability. Retrieved October 4, 2009 from the World Wide Web: http://www.natcomreport.com/ghana/livre/Energy.pdf.

Griffin, J. M., Fuhrer, R., Stansfeld, S. A., & Marmot, M. (2002). The importance of low control at work and home on depression and anxiety: do these effects vary by gender and social class? Social Science Medicine, 54, 783-798.

International Labour Organisation (2005). Facts on Safety at Work. Retrieved October 4, 2009 from the World Wide Web: http://www.ilo.org/ wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/documents/publication/ wcms_067574.pdf.

International Labour Organisation (2009). World Day for Safety And Health at Work 2009 Facts on Safety and Health At Work. Retrieved October 4, 2009 from the World Wide Web: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/--- dgreports/---dcomm/documents/publicat

Jensen, O. C., Søren Sen, J. F. L., Canals, M. L., Hu, J., Nikolic, N., & Mozer, A. A. (2005). Non-Fatal Occupational Injuries Related to Slips, Trips and Falls In Seafaring. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 47:161 – 171.

Luthans, F. (2005). Organizational Behavior (10th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (pp. 278 – 280).

National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling (January 2011). Deep Water: The Gulf Oil Disaster and the Future of Offshore Drilling; Report to the President. Retrieved May 31, 2011 from http:// www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/GPO-O

Oppong, S. (2011). Health & Safety: Theory and Practice in the Oil and Gas Sector. Saarbrücken, Germany: VDM Publishing House Ltd (ISBN: 978-3-639- 36220-6).

Oppong, S. (2010). Preparedness of Ghana to Manage Occupational health and Safety in the Oil and Gas Industry. Unpublished Manuscript, Regent University College of Science & Technology, Ghana.

Parkes, K. R. (2002). Part I: Review of Literature. In K. R. Parkes (Ed.) Psychosocial aspects of work and health in the North Sea oil and gas industry: Summaries of reports published 1996 – 2001. Research Report 002 Prepared by the University of Oxford f

Parkes, K. R. (2010). Offshore working time in relation to performance, health and safety: A review of current practice and evidence. Research Report RR772 Prepared by the University of Oxford for the Health and Safety Executive.

Powell, T. (2004). The UK Offshore Sector – A Situation Report. Business Briefing: Exploration & Production: The Oil and Gas Review, 42 – 45.

Schouwenaars, E. (2008). The Risks Arising from Major Accident Hazards: Lessons from the Past, Opportunities for the Future. Retrieved October 4, 2009 from World Wide Web: http://www.dnv.nl/Binaries/Paper%20Refining%20 Management%20Forum%20Copenhagen_tcm1

Spurgeon, A. & Cooper, C. L. (2000). Working Time, Health, and Performance. International Review of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Vo. 15, 189 – 222.

The E&P Forum/ UNEP (1997). Environmental management in oil and gas exploration and production: An overview of issues and management approaches. UNEP IE/PAC Technical Report 37 (Paris)/E&P Forum Report 2.72/254 (London): Authors.

Valentic, D., Stojanovic, D., Micovic, V., & Vukelic, M. (2005). Work-related Diseases and Injuries on an Oil Rig. International Maritime Health, 56, (1) 4, 56 – 66.

van Dijk, F. J. H., & Swaen, G. M. H. (2003). Fatigue at work. Occupational Environmental Medicine, 60 (Suppl.1):1-2.