Pierpont College & WVU to Offer OSHA Training for Oil & Gas Jobs

WV well pad fire burns seven (7) workers

From a News Item of Farm & Dairy News, December 20, 2018

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The West Virginia University Safety and Health Extension has partnered with Pierpont Technical and Community College to provide OSHA Education Center courses to students interested in the oil and gas industry through a host organization relationship.

Students can complete a series of courses in the oil and gas industry track to earn a certified safety specialist certification, receive OSHA certificates and industry-specific certifications for a comprehensive approach to safety and health duties and responsibilities in the oil and gas industry.

Since the classes focus on safety and health topics, those who take the classes may have an advantage when applying for oil and gas jobs according to Tiffany Rice, an adjunct instructor with the WVU Safety and Health Extension OSHA Education Center.

“Our oil and gas safety and health certification program really works by giving students a total view of the industry and what safety and health hazards occur on the job site. Students will receive training in management techniques, OSHA regulations, recordkeeping, incident investigation and many other topics as part of the curriculum,” said Rice.

The employer knows they’re getting a quality worker, the worker has confidence to do the job correctly and the industry overall can operate more safely, she said.

Rice added that oil and gas safety classes are also available to the public and employers looking to train a portion of their workforce.

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Worries about worker dangers grow amid US oil and gas boom

Article by Jim Morris, Center for Public Integrity | AP, December 21, 2018

Drilling is an inherently dangerous undertaking, with a fatality rate nearly five times that of all industries in the United States combined in 2014, the last year such rates on oil and gas extraction were published by the government. Production pressures — and the temptation to cut corners — intensify during boom times, as America is experiencing now due to a rush of fossil-fuel exports.