The oil and gas industry is among the most dangerous industries for workers, with a fatality rate seven times higher than any other U.S. industry. Safety management in the oil and gas industry is a crucial part of operations and one in which every detail matters.

Safety management requires constant vigilance. Digital safety apps transform paper-based processes into real-time monitoring systems that prevent accidents before they occur. These mobile solutions capture inspection data instantly, trigger immediate alerts for hazards, and maintain compliance records automatically.

Modern safety apps integrate with existing workflows, work offline in remote locations, and sync data when connectivity returns. Management gains instant visibility into safety metrics, while field workers access checklists, emergency procedures, and incident reporting tools from their mobile devices.

The following seven apps represent the most effective digital safety solutions for oil and gas operations, each designed to address specific industry hazards and regulatory requirements.

1. Rig Inspection Checklist

The Rig Inspection Checklist app helps ensure the operational integrity of your land rigs. By performing inspections in real time, you can ensure your team is always in compliance with the latest regulations. This mobile inspection form lets you conduct drilling rig inspections on: personnel certifications, rig site accommodations, Gensets and engines, SCR room, accumulator, mud pumps, mud tanks and more. Since this Rig Inspection Checklist App is editable, you can extend it to include workover rig inspections, drilling inspections, and equipment checklists.

2. Oil and Gas Drilling Safety Checklist

The Oil and Gas Drilling Safety Checklist App helps improve safety operations and performance. This app can be used for anyone in the oil and gas industry looking to improve safety measures, and can be used even by those who are dedicated to the occupational health and safety of the job site. This app can be used not just to ensure industry compliance, but can be used to entirely prevent worksite injuries for employees. Update this app template to include other particular topics, including but not limited to site safety checklists and toolbox talks.

3. Daily Self-Inspections

The Daily Self-Inspection App helps ensure employees are taking the appropriate precautions when starting their day. In this app, employees will be prompted to run through a variety of checklists related to accident prevention, DOT safety audits, hazardous conditions, PPE for employees and more. Once the form is completed, the submission will automatically save for your records in accordance with OSHA and MSHA record-keeping standards. With features such as required fields, photo capture, and offline capabilities, management can ensure that workers have the right personal protective equipment on hand and that hazardous locations are secured before work begins each day.

4. Confined Space Hazards Assessment

The Confined Space Hazards Assessment App is used for pre-work audits to ensure site and environmental safety. Employees will be prompted to inspect atmospheric hazards, work-related hazards, confined space hazards, and human factors. As a supervisor of employees, define entry procedures for potential hazards for health and safety, such as ventilation leading to oxygen deficiency, engulfment hazards, atmospheric hazards, and physical hazards. As with all GoCanvas apps you can add or remove whatever you and your team find important.

5. MSHA Inspections or OSHA Inspections

Whether your business must comply with OSHA or MSHA regulations, GoCanvas has hundreds of apps specific to these regulatory bodies. Every oil and gas business needs to ensure that its workplace is up to industry safety standards. These apps help make sure every safety form is not just accurate but also always accessible. Regular use of these inspection checklists can help reduce workplace injuries and keep the work area safe. These apps help both employees and employers reduce the risk of injury and illnesses.

6. Emergency Response Plan

Proactive risk prevention is essential within the oil and gas industry. The Emergency Response Plan App helps management mitigate the impact of problems, in the off chance they do occur. To help your team feel comfortable with emergency readiness and preparation, this app will help guide them through how management expects them to prepare. This app was created specifically for underground coal mine safety, but can be edited to fit whatever environment your team works in. As supervisors and safety professionals, identify where corrective actions are needed according to regulations and requirements as part of OSHA compliance.

7. Job Safety Analysis (Health and Safety Plan)

The Job Safety Analysis App helps staff identify project hazards and specify engineering and administrative controls and personal protective equipment necessary to mitigate the risks associated with these hazards. As new hazards are reported, a JSA or JHA must be conducted to stay compliant with industry regulations. This app makes it so staff can submit these reports from their mobile device and assists in emergency response planning of the specific project.

Where does GoCanvas help in improving your oil and gas safety? GoCanvas offers each of these apps as templates that you can customize yourself…or we can help you do it! This automates the way information is captured in the field and makes it easy to deploy these apps through a single platform where data is stored centrally, users can easily be managed, and results can be visualized in real-time.

Although increasingly more programs and products are created to promote employee safety, the effectiveness of these tools must be tracked, and when it comes to safety, the data needs to be real time so corrective action can be taken immediately. Automation is necessary to oversee inspections, performance, and maintain safety in oil and gas extraction with no lag time in communications. When situations arise in the field, it is important to have tools in place to prevent and mitigate damage at a moment’s notice. Luckily, operators and contractors in the field can use mobile forms to monitor exposure to chemicals, metals, NORM, and more, then create programs to keep oil and natural gas drilling workers safe. Over 900+ mobile forms are available for the Mining, Quarry, Oil, Gas & Chemicals industry within the GoCanvas Application Store.

Want to learn more about how mobile technology and data can be used in the oil and gas industry?

Take a look at our new eBook, 4 Ways Big Data is Transforming Oil and Gas.

In it, you’ll learn:

• How to predict when equipment will fail, and how best to structure your maintenance schedule
• How data collection can help keep track of complex environmental regulations
• How to enable quicker decision-making to improve worker safety and health