Is Safeland Training Texas Right For You

By Marissa Velazquez


The oil and gas exploration and production and supporting industries employ almost half a million people. Between the years 2003 and 2010, more than 800 oilfield workers lost their lives because of an accident in the workplace. The oil industry has a deplorable safety record. For this reason, and to develop a standardized health and safety orientation program that is specifically tailored to the oil E&P industry, Safeland USA was set up. With so much of the oil industry based in Texas, having Safeland training Texas means job security for the indefinite future training oilfield staff as they arrive at the drill site.

Texas is the second biggest state in the United States, both in terms of acreage and in terms of the number of people who live there. Its southern border is composed of the Gulf of Mexico and the sovereign nation of Mexico. To the north, it is bordered by five states: Oklahoma, New Mexico, Louisiana, Arkansas and Arizona. There are nine active oil plays located within this state.

One Texan oilfield is called the Barnet Shale. This rock formation is situated in the Bend Arch-Fort Worth Basin in the north central part of the state, extending into parts of Oklahoma. Although it is believed that the largest reservoir of natural gas in the United States lies within the Barnet Shale, its physical characteristics are such that it is nearly impossible to gain access to it. Recent developments in hydraulic fracturing techniques have made it possible to begin withdrawing these resources.

The Cline Shale is a rich shale located in the southwest portion of the pan handle east of Midland. Also known as the Wolfcamp or Wolfberry, it is considered one of the most exciting shale plays in the entire continent of North America. This, too, relies upon hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking, " to release its vast stores of natural gas.

The Eagle Ford field underlies a major segment of the southern part of the state. It, too, is one of the most assiduously drilled fields for oil, as well as gas, in the North America. It is formed of sedimentary rocks from the Late Cretaceous period, consisting largely of marine shale fossils.

Another formation, called the East Texas, underlies 140,000 acres reaching into five counties in the eastern part of the state. Apart from Alaska, this is the second largest oilfields in the country. There are over 30,000 wells here, some of which are historically significant. This field covers an area 45 miles by 5 miles. The five other oilfields in the state are Powell, Goose Creek, Spraberry Trend, Spindletop and Yates.

The most common causes of fatalities in inland oil rigs include chemical exposures, confined spaces, vehicle accidents, getting stuck in between machinery, fires and explosions and falls. The workforce on a drilling project is its most important asset. It should be worth whatever it takes to train them in safe oilfield working practices.

A "roughneck" is someone whose livelihood consists of hard manual labor in a precarious environment. This describes the oil industry perfectly. These are the guys who risk their necks providing America with the power to prosper. It is their necks you will be saving by getting involved in Safeland training Texas.




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