Energy Safety Canada launches new orientation standard

Training to provide consistency among oil and gas industry

Energy Safety Canada launches new orientation standard
Differences in existing safety orientations among oil and gas companies is causing training fatigue for workers. Shutterstock
Energy Safety Canada has released one of its first industry accepted standards, the Common Safety Orientation, to advance worker safety in the oil and gas industry.

Existing general safety orientations differ between Canadian companies, creating duplication in content and training fatigue for workers. The oil and gas industry identified a need to produce a single safety orientation delivered consistently across companies, the association said.

The orientation is an online course that introduces new workers to safe work practices. It incorporates Energy Safety Canada’s 10 Life Saving Rules, which are based on addressing the most at-risk behaviours.

“The purpose of establishing an industry accepted standard is to more efficiently and effectively educate workers on safe work practices. It also makes it easier for workers to move from site to site, and drives complexity and costs out of the system,” said Murray Elliott, president and CEO of Energy Safety Canada. “A unified approach to oil and gas safety orientations will accelerate improvements in safe work performance, which is expected to result in fewer injuries and incidents.”

The Common Safety Orientation (CSO) will replace the Electronic General Safety Orientation (eGSO), Petroleum Safety Training (PST) and Basic Safety Orientation (BSO).