Union calls for ongoing, in-depth review of occupational health and safety
The largest strike in more than three decades at oil refineries in the United States has ended two months after it began following the ratification of a contract that, in part, could be considered a victory for safety.
Thousands of workers at 12 major refineries across the U.S. walked off the job earlier this year after talks between Royal Dutch Shell (the oil company leading negotiations for all employers) and the United Steelworkers (or USW, the union representing more than 30,000 striking employees) hit a wall.
Of particular concern for the union was the health and safety of the oil sector, as well as pattern wages and benefits. The USW called for industry regulation from employers and eventually a deal was reached — but not before the walkout, at its peak, had more than 6,500 workers picketing and saw one plant in California shut down entirely.
"We’ve got the desire to have an ongoing, in-depth review of occupational health and safety in all of the facilities because we’ve had 27 fatalities in the last six or seven years," said Leo Gerard, the steelworkers’ international president. "On average, we’ve had very close to 50 fires a year in the facilities. That’s almost one a week — and we all know that if there’s a fire that leads to an explosion, it’s dangerous for our members, it’s dangerous for the company and it’s dangerous for the community."
Oil and gas workers, in particular, face very specific hazards.
Bob Whiting, senior project manager at the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety in Hamilton, said many operations south of the border could use a safety upgrade in more ways than one.
"Though refineries are a great deal safer than they used to be… some of the refineries in the United States are still very old and don’t have the levels of technology and automation and sophistication that the new ones have, but they keep them going because it’s still profitable to do so," Whiting explained.
As an example, he cited the refining process itself, for which the main risks are fire or explosion. Chemical processes involving heat and pressure, coupled with proper storage and containment of petroleum products, are tantamount to avoiding a disaster.
"But, occasionally, that’s what does happen in refineries," he said. "They’ll cut into a pipe and it will still have pressure in it and there will be an explosion and somebody will get killed."
Such a volatile work environment leads to stress — a derivative, yet by no means secondary, danger. Whiting pointed to maintenance work, which typically needs to be completed in a short period of time to resume production. Labour force composition could be one way individual employers of the trade could mitigate associated risks.
"Arrange the work so that there won’t be as much fatigue — say, if two people do it, maybe three or four, in order to shift each other off — and (it’s) a safer way to do it. They’re more alert, they can follow procedures more precisely, (they’re) less likely to make a mistake," Whiting said.
Though overall occupational safety in refineries might not yet be functioning at a calibre wholly satisfactory to the USW, improvements are slow and steady, he noted. This is likely due to the gradual progression of technology as well as environmental waste control legislation.
"Modern refineries are much more automated than they used to be. So there may not be quite as much physical manipulation of the equipment as there used to be," he said. "A lot of workplaces have combined safety and environment, like building in systems that will capture and recover gases and prevent them getting into the environment. People in the past were not so careful. There’s a lot of pressure to capture and reuse and reduce their waste, and reduce exposure. Controlling emissions is safe for the worker, but also the environment."
Provisions in the new four-year contract inked with U.S. refinery workers this year contain language addressing such safety concerns as worker fatigue and resultant accidents, as well as an immediate review of staffing and workload assessments with union safety personnel involved at each individual facility, according to a statement from the steelworkers.
Daily maintenance and repair work were also tabled.
"The new agreement calls for a joint review on the local level of future craft worker staffing needs," said Tom Conway, the union’s vice-president.
"Included are hiring plans to be developed in conjunction with recruitment and training programs."
