Maintain safety oversight across drilling, completions, well servicing, and production operations.
Upstream operations place crews around pressurized equipment, suspended tubulars, moving machinery, hazardous gases, and changing well conditions. Activities often take place at remote locations where access, communications, and emergency response require advance planning.
Dexur EHS organizes incidents, inspections, exposure assessments, and corrective work by asset, well, location, and operating phase. Give field supervisors, drilling and completions teams, production managers, and HSE leaders a clear view of unresolved hazards and the decisions needed before work proceeds.
Request an Upstream Oil & Gas EHS DemoFrom report to resolution
A wellsite’s risk profile changes as equipment arrives, the rig is assembled, drilling progresses, completion equipment is connected, and the well enters production.
Workovers and interventions introduce another set of conditions. Equipment may retain pressure, fluids may differ from earlier expectations, and several activities may take place within a confined pad.
A safety record needs to explain the well state, task, equipment configuration, and people potentially exposed.
Record the well, equipment, operating condition, and task associated with the concern.
A leaking connection during pressure operations may require withdrawal, isolation, technical assessment, and repair. A gas alarm during tank work may require investigation of the atmosphere, access method, and exposure potential. A repeated dropped-object finding may require changes to inspection or equipment retention.
Dexur EHS keeps the observation, immediate response, assigned work, and verification history together.
One unified platform
Capture injuries, pressure releases, equipment failures, gas alarms, vehicle events, and near misses with their operational context.
Distinguish the initiating event from its consequences. A pressure release without injury can still indicate a serious failure requiring investigation.
Upstream examples include:
Associate each report with the well, job phase, equipment identifier, and people involved.
Structure inspections around the activity scheduled and the equipment in service.
Review:
Document relevant changes since the previous inspection. A checklist completed before rig-up may not address the conditions present after equipment is repositioned or another operation begins.
Organize the evidence supporting applicable safety programs:
Maintain the difference between an instrument alarm, a confirmed release, and a measured employee exposure. Each requires its own interpretation and follow-up.
Assign corrections to the personnel responsible for the affected equipment, procedure, or work arrangement.
Typical actions include:
Finding → Immediate Protection → Technical Review → Assigned Correction → Verification → Operating Decision
Where a defect could lead to serious harm, record the restriction on the affected activity. An action deadline should not be interpreted as permission to continue operating defective equipment.
Relevant categories include:
Record high-potential events even when no injury occurs. Actual outcome and potential severity should remain separately identifiable.
Include:
Preserve the source and timing of operational readings. Information taken after shutdown may not describe the conditions immediately before the event.
Event → Operating-State Review → Equipment Assessment → Personnel Exposure Review → Contributing Causes → Corrective Work → Verification
Questions may include:
Dexur EHS maintains the relationship between the investigation findings and the changes intended to prevent recurrence.
Upstream oil and gas requires careful applicability review. Drilling, well servicing, production, construction, and offshore activities do not necessarily fall under identical provisions.
| Requirement | Upstream application | Records and follow-up |
|---|---|---|
| OSHA General Industry — 29 CFR Part 1910 | Applicable onshore extraction and production activities, subject to specific scope provisions. | Workplace assessments, inspections, training, and corrective records. |
| Hazard Communication — 29 CFR 1910.1200 | Hazardous drilling additives, treatment chemicals, produced substances, and other covered chemicals. | Inventories, safety data sheets, labeling, and employee instruction. |
| Air Contaminants — 29 CFR 1910.1000 | Applicable exposure limits for substances encountered in field operations. | Exposure assessments, monitoring information, and control measures. |
| Respirable Crystalline Silica — 29 CFR 1910.1053 | Covered general-industry exposure, including relevant hydraulic-fracturing activities. | Exposure-control documentation, assessments, engineering controls, and other required records. |
| Respiratory Protection — 29 CFR 1910.134 | Activities requiring respirators under the applicable exposure or response arrangements. | Program records, medical evaluation status, fit testing, and training. |
| Occupational Noise Exposure — 29 CFR 1910.95 | Noise from rigs, pumping equipment, compressors, and other machinery. | Exposure evaluations and hearing-conservation documentation where required. |
| Machine Guarding — 29 CFR 1910 Subpart O | Covered moving machinery and power-transmission hazards. | Guard inspections, defects, repairs, and verification. |
| Walking-Working Surfaces — 29 CFR 1910 Subpart D | Applicable platforms, access routes, ladders, and fall exposures. | Inspections, protective arrangements, and findings. |
| Permit-Required Confined Spaces — 29 CFR 1910.146 | Qualifying spaces within the standard’s scope. | Evaluations, entry documentation, and required coordination. |
| Construction — 29 CFR Part 1926 | Activities classified as construction, such as certain facility installation or alteration work. | Task-specific construction records and safeguards. |
| Recordkeeping — 29 CFR Part 1904 | Covered occupational injury and illness recording and reporting. | Recordability decisions, applicable OSHA forms, and supporting case details. |
Determine coverage according to the activity and jurisdiction. OSHA identifies general-industry and other relevant requirements for oil and gas extraction. OSHA: Oil and Gas Extraction Standards
29 CFR 1910.147 expressly excludes oil and gas well drilling and servicing from its scope. Other covered production or maintenance activities require their own applicability determination.
The exclusion does not make unexpected movement, trapped pressure, or stored energy acceptable. Maintain task-appropriate isolation and verification practices under the requirements applicable to the operation. OSHA: Control of Hazardous Energy
Avoid assigning the same lockout/tagout compliance checklist indiscriminately to a drilling job, a well intervention, and a production-facility maintenance task.
29 CFR 1910.119 excludes oil and gas well drilling or servicing operations. The standard also contains other scope provisions and exemptions, including normally unoccupied remote facilities.
Evaluate other upstream processes against the applicable criteria and OSHA guidance. Neither the presence of hydrocarbons nor an “upstream” label is enough to establish the correct determination. OSHA: Process Safety Management
Where PSM applies, link required recommendations and actions to the covered process. Where it does not, retain the relevant operational risk assessments and equipment-safety records.
Hydraulic-fracturing sand handling can generate respirable crystalline silica. Assess transfer points, sand-moving equipment, operating methods, and employee exposure.
For covered general-industry operations, use 29 CFR 1910.1053 rather than automatically applying the construction standard’s Table 1 approach. OSHA: General Industry Silica Standard
Where hydrogen sulfide may be present, maintain the applicable detection, exposure-control, training, and emergency arrangements.
Odor is not a reliable warning method. Document monitor readiness, alarm events, work restrictions, and investigation results. OSHA: Hydrogen Sulfide Safety and Health Hazards
Opening production-tank hatches can expose workers to concentrated hydrocarbon gases and vapors and oxygen-deficient atmospheres. This risk is not limited to tanks containing hydrogen sulfide.
Review the need for manual access, alternative gauging or sampling arrangements, and the controls appropriate to the task. Preserve findings by tank, activity, and operating condition. OSHA–NIOSH: Manual Tank Gauging and Sampling Hazard Alert
| Program or record | Primary purpose | Relationship to EHS workflows |
|---|---|---|
| Occupational safety requirements | Protect workers from machinery, pressure, falls, hazardous atmospheres, and exposure. | Inspections, investigations, exposure assessments, and corrective work. |
| Well-control procedures and equipment assurance | Maintain control of the well under the applicable operating requirements. | Reference technical findings and track resulting actions under the responsible specialists. |
| State oil and gas requirements | Govern jurisdiction-specific well permitting, construction, operation, and related obligations. | Record relevant responsibilities and follow-up for each asset. |
| Offshore requirements | Establish duties under the applicable offshore jurisdiction. | Organize required assessments, audits, and assigned actions. |
| Operator and industry standards | Define adopted equipment, operating, or contractual expectations. | Track findings against the identified requirement and applicable edition. |
For covered U.S. Outer Continental Shelf operations, BSEE’s 30 CFR Part 250, Subparts establishes Safety and Environmental Management Systems requirements. This is a distinct offshore framework and should not be presented as universally applicable to onshore wells. 30 CFR Part 250, Subparts
Examples include:
Upstream safety priorities depend on what will happen next: pressurizing a line, moving tubulars, opening equipment, entering a tank area, or returning a well to operation.
Review findings against the planned activity and current well conditions.
Consider pressure, stored energy, toxicity, ignition potential, personnel location, and the reliability of existing controls.
A low injury rate does not establish that well-control, pressure-containment, or hazardous-atmosphere risks are adequately managed.
Field Observations + Equipment Findings + Gas Events + Exposure Assessments + Job Changes
→Identify the Next Potential Exposure
→Obtain Operational and Technical Review
→Implement the Required Controls
→Verify Before the Affected Activity
→Share Findings Across Similar Wells
EHS software supports the record and follow-up. It does not replace well-control equipment, gas detection, emergency shutdown systems, or operational decision-making.
Use occupational injury measures alongside indicators addressing pressure, gas, lifting, and exposure hazards.
| KPI | What to measure | Upstream application |
|---|---|---|
| OSHA TRIR and DART Rate | Recordable cases and cases involving days away, restricted work, or job transfer, normalized by hours worked. | Review drilling, completions, servicing, and production using consistent reporting boundaries. |
| High-Potential Pressure Events | Unplanned releases and pressure-related near misses, with actual and potential severity recorded separately. | Identify weaknesses in connections, equipment condition, procedures, or personnel positioning. |
| Dropped-Object and Tubular-Handling Events | Incidents, near misses, and recurring inspection findings. | Evaluate rig-floor activities, elevated equipment, and handling arrangements. |
| Gas and Vapor Event Follow-Up | Alarm investigations, suspected exposures, confirmed releases, and unresolved controls. | Review hydrogen sulfide, hydrocarbon vapor, and oxygen-deficiency concerns. |
| Critical Inspection Completion | Required equipment and task checks completed before relevant activities. | Monitor pressure equipment, lifting arrangements, gas monitors, and designated safeguards. |
| Exposure-Control Action Status | Outstanding recommendations and completed reassessments. | Track silica, noise, chemical, and tank-access improvements. |
| Verified Corrective Action Closure | Timeliness, technical verification, overdue restrictions, and recurrence. | Determine whether equipment or procedures were corrected before reuse. |
Where reliable activity data are available, interpret events against the relevant work volume, such as interventions, pressure operations, or tank-access tasks.
Compare assets while retaining differences in operating phase and exposure.
Review:
See findings affecting rig activities, pressure operations, sand handling, and transitions between job phases.
Track unresolved technical questions, inspection deficiencies, and actions needed before the next planned operation.
Monitor:
Prioritize site visits, exposure assessments, incident investigations, and control reviews.
Maintain enough task detail to distinguish a production-round exposure from a completion or maintenance activity.
Review the current job hazards, equipment restrictions, revised instructions, and assigned actions.
Carry unresolved issues through shift changes so the incoming crew understands both the condition and the reason for the restriction.
Organization
Operations
Follow-through
This structure links management reporting to the well and activity behind each record.
A finding identified during drilling may affect completion equipment selection. A flowback event may change production procedures. A servicing observation may reveal a problem present across several wells.
Dexur EHS maintains these relationships as operating responsibility changes.
Retain the job phase, equipment configuration, fluid conditions, and personnel exposure relevant to each event.
Make pressure releases, dropped objects, and hazardous-atmosphere near misses visible even when nobody was injured.
Identify which actions require review by equipment specialists, well-operation personnel, industrial hygienists, or other designated experts.
Keep unresolved conditions visible when crews change, equipment moves, or a well transitions into another operating phase.
Associate each activity with its applicable jurisdiction and standard, including relevant drilling and servicing exclusions.
Retain repair evidence, inspection results, and the responsible decision supporting the next operation.
Review whether a connection failure, tank-access concern, or handling issue could affect similar equipment and work elsewhere.
Bring wellsite inspections, pressure-equipment findings, exposure assessments, incident investigations, and corrective work into one operational safety record.
See how Dexur EHS can help your teams maintain safety visibility from drilling and completions through servicing and production.