Health and Safety Issues in the Oil and Gas Industry - Essay Example

Health and Safety Issues in the Oil and Gas Industry Draft Introduction to Dissertation In this era where the fusion of technology and industrialization is undeniably evident in all aspects of the global market, man’s awareness on the hazards of different operations in the industry is less prioritized than before. In most cases, the considerable measures on health and safety are disregarded by the employers as they focus on the productivity of their workforce (Harrison, 1999). Beyond doubt, health and safety play potent roles in the outcome of man’s productivity. Hence, these are essential aspects that should be carefully considered. The various risks health issues entail affect business operations. Thus, it is indeed significant that such risks are effectively avoided by implementing various health and safety measures in the workplace of any industry. This study focuses on the different health and safety issues in one of the riskiest industries, considering the business operations it involves. The oil and gas industry undergoes numerous processes that include the use of different chemicals (Cottle and Guidotti, 1990). Such processes are potentially hazardous not just to its employees but also to the environment. For the past years, the oil and gas industry has received wide-ranged criticisms regarding its negative effects on the global atmosphere (Young, 2003). These effects on both humans and the environment are the subjects of this study. Hence, the research questions in this study concentrate on the health and safety in the oil and gas industry. These include the following: 1. What are the potential hazards of the operations in oil and gas industry to man’s health and safety? 2. What are the health and safety measures the industry currently implements to avoid such hazards? 3. How can health and safety policies in the oil and gas industry be improved? The first research question will discuss the different issues on health and safety the oil and gas industry currently faces. This also includes the criticisms it receives among different sectors in the global market over the years. Hence, this part of the dissertation necessitates, and thus involves the use of related literature to provide and support evidences of the health and safety issues in the oil and gas industry. In order to analytically interpret how oil and gas companies give importance and provide proper care to the potential hazards of their operations, the second research question is formulated to discuss the policies oil and gas companies currently implement to promote health and safety. Consequently, the researcher will provide accounts of actual interviews with managers of oil and gas companies in Saudi Arabia to document the present health and safety policies they execute. Meanwhile, the third research question will tackle the positive health and safety measures oil and gas companies can possibly put into practice in the future to reduce the risks concerning health and safety. These will be provided after analyzing the answers to the first two research problems using statistical and non-statistical means. Thus, recommendations will be presented as to how the health and safety policies can be improved. The major goal of this study revolves around identifying the health and safety issues in the oil and gas industry and developing new insights about how such issues are managed. This will be clearly shown through descriptive research using numerous data-gathering procedures to arrive at precise outcomes. Also, the researcher will conduct comprehensive procedures to measure the effectiveness of the current issues implemented by oil and gas companies. For these goals to be achieved appropriately, the researcher came up with a justifiable and flexible research plan. This involves various processes which will comprise the different chapters of the dissertation. After a specific subject is chosen and research questions are formulated, the researcher will conduct normative data-gathering procedures such as interviews and library research. A comprehensive body of literature will be provided which concerns different health and safety issues in the oil and gas industry. This includes the dangerous chemicals involved and other hazards in the different oil and gas industry operations. Likewise, the researcher will conduct interviews with company managers in the oil and gas industry to gather factual materials about the current measures oil and gas companies implement to avoid the hazards of the different operations. These materials will then undergo comprehensive processes to analyze and statistically calculate the effectiveness of current measures in promoting health and safety in the industry (Benoit, 2004). The data will first be rationally categorized using different strata. Then, it will be tabulated in order to be critically analyzed using various tests. These involve both statistical treatment and descriptive interpretation using the materials gathered regarding the potential hazards of different operations in the oil and gas industry. The results in this phase will be the bases for the answers in the third research question which concerns recommendations as to how the health and safety measures can be progressed and the risks be avoided significantly. Overall, the dissertation comprises of relevant literature and data-gathering processes such as interviews to collate sufficient materials and evidences in order to answer the research questions. The dissertation will also involve presentation of the categorized data which will then be tabulated for further interpretation. Precise calculations of the statistical treatment will be presented followed by the summary, conclusion and recommendations. These parts will be based on the prior procedures the researcher will conduct (Hatfield, 2003). The methodology to be used in the dissertation will be descriptive research. Thus, the study will involve a substantial collection of relevant data-gathering functions (Hatfield, 2003). Such procedures will comprise of case study, interviews and literature search. Library research will be conducted to gather enough evidences regarding the potential hazards of the operation in the oil and gas industry involving the use of different chemicals. In addition to that, interviews will be conducted to determine the present limitations and hazards governing the current policies followed by the oil and gas companies. These materials will also provide actual health actual health and safety issues oil and gas companies presently face. For the case study, the dissertation will cover two oil and gas companies to identify the current situation in the aspect of health and safety. An in-depth literature review will support the case study. Theoretically, the dissertation expects positive outcomes which would help minimize the potential danger in the industry by providing sufficient recommendations. Since the dissertation focuses on the Saudi Arabia which is one of the giants in the oil and gas industry, it hopes to determine the health and safety issues oil and gas companies deals with. The data-gathering procedures to be used in the study hope to determine the different legislations companies should use as guides to avoid the risks entailed by oil and gas industry operations. Also, the different chemicals that are potentially hazardous will hopefully be identified. Therefore to summarize, the study expects to find answers to the research questions using the data acquired through various methods. The first two research questions regarding the potential health and safety hazards of oil and gas operations and the current policies oil and gas companies implement will be answered by data-gathering procedures such as literature search and interviews. The third research question which involves recommendations as to how such measures can be improved will hopefully be provided by the study after the gathered data are tabulated and interpreted. Hence, the expected outcomes hope to minimize the risks of oil and gas industry operations not just for the companies’ benefit but for the sake of lives concerned and the future generation. References Benoit, F. M. (2004). Statistical treatment in research processes. New York: McGaughe; p. 101 Cottle, M. K. and Guidotti, T. M. (1990). Process chemicals in the oil and gas industry: potential occupational hazards. Toxicol Ind Health, Vol. 6, No. 1; pp. 41-56. Harrison, J. T. (1999). Companies in focus. Burlington, VT, USA: Salt Lake, Inc.; p.74. Hatfield, R. S. (2003). Guide in writing dissertations. Illinois: Markinsons; p. 99. Young, F. P. (2003). Hazards at work: a comprehensive guide. Newcastle: Tommy and Wire; 9.56-58. Read More