Set up and run a safe petroleum extraction operation

Every petroleum extraction operation shares the same workplace foundations. Whether you extract crude oil or natural gas, onshore or offshore, the duties in this guide apply to running your business and employing people. The site-specific controls — the petroleum production licence, offshore safety case, COMAH, environmental permits, OPRED permits and upstream taxation — live in a separate guide.

Workplace health and safety is enforced by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in Great Britain and by the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) in Northern Ireland. HSE is the lead enforcing authority for both onshore and offshore oil and gas operations. Work through the sections below in order.

A. Meet your general health and safety duty

The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 is the foundation. You must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of your employees and of anyone else affected by your work. For upstream oil and gas that means risk-assessing every activity — drilling, production, processing, storage, transport on site — providing safe systems of work, and training and supervising your people.

B. Control hazardous substances under COSHH

Petroleum extraction exposes people to hydrogen sulphide (sour gas and oil), benzene, mercury, naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) in scale and produced water, and drilling chemicals. Assess exposure, apply controls and carry out health surveillance where required.

C. Control fire and explosion risk under DSEAR

DSEAR is genuinely division-wide: every well, separator, gas-processing facility and hydrocarbon-storage operation handles flammable dangerous substances and creates potentially explosive atmospheres. Assess fire and explosion risk, eliminate or reduce it, classify hazardous-area zones and provide suitable ATEX-compliant equipment.

D. Keep plant and equipment safe under PUWER

Drilling rigs, wellheads, pumps, separators, compressors and pressure systems must be suitable, maintained, inspected and used only by trained operators under PUWER. Read alongside LOLER 1998 for lifting equipment and PSSR 2000 for pressure systems.

E. Manage manual handling risks

Avoid, assess and reduce the risk of injury from manual handling — drill pipe and tubular handling, valves, sampling and maintenance lifting across the wellsite or installation.

F. Meet your fire safety duties

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies to your workplace premises — offices, stores and onshore site buildings. High-hazard process fire and explosion risk is regulated primarily through DSEAR and — offshore — the safety-case regime. In Scotland the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 applies; in Northern Ireland the Fire and Rescue Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006.

G. Hold employers' liability insurance

You must hold at least £5 million of employers' liability insurance once you employ anyone. Display the certificate or make it available electronically.

H. Meet your equality duties

The Equality Act 2010 protects people from discrimination, harassment and victimisation across nine protected characteristics. This applies to recruitment and the workforce. In Northern Ireland, separate equality legislation is enforced by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.

I. Handle personal data lawfully

If you process personal data — staff records, contractor details, site visitors — you must comply with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 and pay the ICO data protection fee unless you are specifically exempt.

What to do next

With the workplace spine in place, get your licences, permits and meet your major-hazard duties from the licensing and permits guide, then confirm the whole picture with the compliance checklist. Start from the router if you are not sure which guides apply to you.