Safety Campaign Aimed at North Dakota Oil Patch Operators

Officials are pushing a safety campaign in western North Dakota’s oil patch, where 12 people died in oil and gas operations last year.

The Bismarck Tribune reports it is a joint project of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the National Service, Transmission, Exploration and Production Safety Network’s chapter in North Dakota and Montana.

The effort was getting under way Thursday with a meeting in Minot, with OSHA officials talking about recent fatalities in the oil patch and energy company officials talking about their safety goals. The presentation was to be streamed to remote work sites. OSHA Area Director Eric Brooks says about 400 employers signed up.

OSHA says North Dakota now ranks second for work-related fatalities per capita.