Over the past few weeks I have spent some time with the assets of small companies. No I'm not talking about the rigs, the tools or anything you can buy or sell but the real asset of any company; their employees. Ladies and gentlemen your employees are your greatest assets; they are the face of your company, they are the backbone, they do the work, they take the lumps and they take the risks. So for just a moment before you move on in this article consider that. They clock in everyday and go to work. Some days of course are better than others but they are there for you, rain or shine; doing the work, putting a face to the name of your business. This is an important point for everyone to remember. As much as they rely on you for their bread and butter you rely on them for the same; without them no-one gets paid.

I'd like to take a moment to preface my interactions with a little background about me and why this is so important to me. I am a safety professional and I am passionate about what I do. I believe that safety in the Oil & Gas and Construction industry is everyone's responsibility and should be everyone's desire; simply put "Everyone goes Home". Isn't that what we all want? We all want to go home the same way we arrived at work. No one wants to go home missing a finger or in a cast or worse yet in a pine box. No one wants to bare the burden of telling a coworkers family that their father, husband, brother, son, wife, mother, daughter or sister is never coming home; and for what; a little bit of money, a little bit of oil, a taller building, or a bigger bridge? No no one wants this. So it set me on a path of discovery; I want to understand why it is so hard to get safety into the workforce. Why is it so hard to get employees, supervisors, company men, superintendents, and the like to join together and work towards making it so no one has to ever experience a preventable loss at work?

The most common answers I got for this question from the man/woman on the ground was that they felt that the company did not care what happened to them, they were expendable. They believe that it is acceptable to work without a "net" because to ask for one meant they were complaining and they would lose their jobs. The second most common response was that they were told there is no money to be "wasted" on safety; just do the job like its been done for the last 40 years. And the the third and my personal favorite (I mean this sarcastically of course) when an employee brings a safety issue to light they are told that they need to worry about their job and not something that is "above their pay grade".

Whether you are a company of 10 or 10,000 safety is everyone's right and responsibility. That is a fact. As a company you have a responsibility to your employees and your community to ensure that you are operating in a safe and responsible manner. So what does this mean? It means that Safety is not only a responsibility but a basic human right in the workplace. Not sure I'm on the up and up; check your OSHA Rules and Regulations. They exist for this very reason. Although it did not come about until 1971; the 50 years of needless deaths and maiming, deplorable working conditions and long term illnesses caused by these conditions paved the way. The road to today's safety was in all actuality paved in blood and because of this we owe it to each other; Employer and Employee; to listen to the voices of the past, to ensure that no more blood is shed.

So to answer the three main responses I received from my mini interviews; I say this: If your job is threatened because you use your SWA (Stop Work Authority) or because you refuse to do a job in a manner that is knowingly dangerous to life and health - there is a process for that. USE IT. I know its time consuming and it can be disheartening but you must follow through if you hope make a change, a positive change. Remember the life you save may be your own. If your company has a defined chain of command for safety complaints then follow it. If you get no resolve or if you are terminated for this reason then use the government agencies that are there to help you such as the DOL (Department of Labor) EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) and OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration). That is why they are there. The reality is most executive branch managers in companies are unaware of issues that are presented by employees in the field; you have to make them aware. It takes one person to speak up to get the ball rolling. I know it's lonely and scary but you cannot protect yourself and your coworkers if you do not make the people at the top aware of the unsafe acts in the field. If you give them the opportunity to fix it, I have to believe they will and if they don't you have other avenues of resolve.

Second "Wasted Money" - Well alright lets take a look at some real money. According to NCCI the average time loss injury involving a hospital stay involves a 3 day hospital stay and a minimum 1 week off work and another 3 weeks of light duty or transfer. Now according to the national and industry standards in 2016 for the state of Oklahoma alone the average cost per day of hospital stay was $2,652.00/day @ 3 days = $7,956.00; now we add $536.00/week of workers comp pay (based on the average paid per/wk) received for being off work or time loss pay and then we add the light duty pay @ $15.00/hr (industry average) for 40 hrs. = $600.00/week; this gives a subtotal of $10,292.00 spent and it has been a month since your worker has been hurt and you have received no work equivalent to his regular duties for the astronomical monies you have spent. Now we add in the additional costs of added manpower to cover that injured employee for the entire time he/she has been off or transferred = $3,000.00 (based on the industry average of $15.00/hr) on top of this you will of course have to add in adjusted costs for emergency services (In 2016 the National average ranged between $2,162.00 - $8,005.00) not including the ambulance, the Oklahoma average in 2016 was $2,650.00/visit to the ER. The average cost of ambulance or EMS in 2016 (remains the same today) was $1,200.00 plus mileage. So here's hoping the employee was injured near a hospital. Okay so our current total is looking like this $17,142.00 (not including mileage to the hospital for EMS) Here are some of the hidden costs, any fines associated with the accident such as DOT, OSHA, EPA, ect... The average cost for a willful violation of OSHA regulations is $70,000.00. A single accident has cost you a minimum of $87,142.00. Then there is the cost no one thinks about until it is too late the loss of business due to negative impact of the business reputation.

Now let's look at what it cost to keep people safe. After doing a little research and well because I do this everyday I can tell you that to outfit an Oil & Gas worker with the needed safety equipment costs approximately $905.00. This includes the very basics; Hard hat, Gloves, Steel toe boots, Safety Glasses, and Most importantly FR's. Now let's add in a dash of the basics in safety training so they know what they need to keep themselves and their coworkers safe out there. For the standard industry required Safeland Training and H2S Clear the cost is a poultry $365.00/employee (through Lighthouse Solutions new hire/pkg deal). All major companies are requiring Safeland Basic Orientation, so if you don't have it you are not only letting your employees down you are letting your clients down. Now lets add in company based HSE basics. Bring in a professional, either by contract or as a full time, on staff employee - but get one; let them do their job. They will create a plan of action that is suited for your company's needs, designed for the work you do and get your people trained in the safe work practices they need to know.The average cost for a this type of professional can vary according to your needs but they are always worth it, I assure you. The average cost of an on staff HSE professional in Oklahoma is approximately $60,000.00/year plus benefits. Alright so let's look at the bottom line here; the cost of an accident averages $87,142.00 while the cost of safety is a mere $61,270.00 (keep in mind this cost is not continuous because you will reduce your turn over rate and reduce your number of accidents and incidents so your insurance costs go down and your replacement costs for safety go down) through basic math you have saved yourself (the company) a whopping $25,872.00 just by investing in safety.

Finally in response to the last of the responses "It's above your pay grade"; safety is everyone's' responsibility, it is everyone's right. No safety question is above anyone's' pay grade. If you are asked a safety question and you don't have the answer; get it. Ask until you get the right answer. We have a responsibility to ourselves and each other.

Thank you to those who took the time to talk to me; to share your experiences and offer your input. I learn so much from you all with each encounter. Please keep sharing. "Be the light in the Dark".