This week, EID traveled to Canton for the Ohio Oil and Gas Association’s (OOGA) Transportation and Safety Seminar.  The expanding activity in the Utica Shale is creating opportunities for local companies to grow and hire.  This is especially true for the trucking industry.

A recent study from on Pennsylvania’s shale development by the Marcellus Shale Education and Training Center shows one out of ten jobs directly created by shale development is filled by a licensed truck driver.  With over 200,000  jobs being created or supported through the development of the Utica Shale, Ohio’s oil and gas industry will be hiring a large number of truck drivers.

As with every facet of the oil and gas industry, safety is the number one priority in trucking.  The Transportation and Safety Seminar aims to ensure those working in the oil patch are safe and understand Ohio law and regulation.

Joe Barone, President of ShaleDirectories.com, presented the “5 Steps to Success in the Shale 2.0”. In his presentation, he emphasized that because of depressed natural gas prices, companies want to make their practices more efficient and safer to avoid excess costs.  Therefore, companies looking to break into the shale industry should prioritize safety and make that apparent when approaching producers.

Kristy Hawthorne, OOGA’s Director of Membership Services, introduced the day’s program and spoke on procurement procedures for the room full of contractors and companies.  She took time out of the day to chat with EID about the seminar:

This event is a little bit of a hybrid event. We have a business development track with marketing ideas and the safety issues that are requirements in the industry, the insurance requirement, a lot of good basic business development information and then couple that with the trucking industry specific topics—spill control and response, the PUCO placards, weights for ODOT, the Road Maintenance Usage Agreements.  There’s just a lot of good information for the trucking industry as they’re involved in oil and gas—Kristy Hawthorne, OOGA Director of Membership Services (:20)

After lunch, attendees listened to presentations on “Safety Culture in the Oil and Gas Industry”.  Chris Veazey, HSE Manager at EnerVest Operating, spoke on a variety of safety concerns and areas to protect including fire protection, production equipments safety, and changes that have recently come into effect with the passage of Senate Bill 315.  Brad Hunt, Director at Risk Control 360, spoke on contractor safety and management reporting.  He explained programs and systems in which a contractor can put in their safety information and receive scores, allowing them to have information to give to companies they are looking to work with.  The systems he mentioned, including ISNetworld, PEC, and PICS,  help customers understand the safety requirements they need to comply with or exceed.

Overall, OOGA hosted an informative and worthwhile event for those involved in the transportation aspect of the oil and gas industry, or looking to break into the growing field.  Next up, OOGA will be hosting their 2012 Oilfield Expo December 4^th through December 6^th.  Be sure to visit OOGA’s website for more information and registration.

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