Upstream, Midstream, and Downstream: MCR Safety's Got You Covered When It Comes to PPE

MCR Safety prides itself on manufacturing the best PPE to keep workers safe.  No matter where you work in the oil and gas industry, whether in an upstream, midstream, or downstream occupation, MCR Safety has you covered with PPE solutions that you can rely on.

MCR Safety protects workers across the entire oil and gas industry.

In this article, we hope to draw your attention to all the content we have written and resources we have created over the past several months pertaining to the oil and gas industry.  We have researched and written about specific types of hazards and activities across the industry, and determined the best PPE to keep you safe while you are on the job.

MCR Safety’s Oil and Gas Industry Resource Page

The starting point for all of MCR Safety’s oil and gas industry content is found in one centralized place on our website.  By having all relevant information in one spot, a worker, safety manager, or just overall curious individual may find a hidden jewel they didn’t expect to find pertaining to oil and gas safety. 

Oil and Gas Industry Page

A user can access all industry guides, blogs, worker hazards, highlighted oil and gas PPE, industry stats, and much more from this main page.  If you work in a specific segment, like midstream, and want to see only content for it, you can quickly navigate there from this central portal.  Our goal at MCR Safety is to keep you safe, protected, and get you where you want to be in the most efficient way possible.

Specific Hazards Across the Oil and Gas Industry and the PPE You Need

Top Hazards and Products

Many of our blogs have been written with the safety of oil and gas workers in mind.   We’ve written about the top oil and gas hazards, including the eight most common hazards across the entire industry.  Our PPE options to protect you from these hazards are linked throughout the blog, so if you’re particularly concerned about a specific risk, you’ll be able to find the gear you need to help keep you safe.

 
The top oil and gas hazards require excellent PPE.

We have also written a blog on the top 10 glasses, gloves, and garments that we think all oil and gas workers need to know about as they plan their PPE needs.  In addition, we have shared some of our new products that we think could easily join the list someday soon!

Impact Protection

After you read about the top products, make sure that you’re familiar with the new ANSI ISEA 138 impact standard.  It has gone live this year, and it helps workers and their employers determine which gloves offer the best back-of-hand protection against impact for particular applications.

 
ANSI/ISEA 138 Impact Protection

While there was a hand-protection standard in place previously in North America, ANSI/ISEA 105: 2016, American national standard for hand protection, it only addressed the cut, abrasion, tear, and puncture performance of gloves, not their impact protection.  The formulation of ANSI ISEA 138 addresses this necessary gap in worker safety and helps workers protect their hands from impact injuries.  Be sure to download our Impact Glove Buying Guide to check out all your impact glove options. 

Contractor Safety and Construction

Our blog, Who's Who in Oil and Gas: Contractor Safety and the PPE Required, breaks down the top occupations in each of the oil and gas sub-industries.  It also discusses the important work that drilling service contractors do, the common hazards that they face while servicing rigs, and the steps that companies should take to ensure contractor safety.  If you employ contractors on-site, or if you are a contractor, check out the blog, which has links to more information about the PPE that drilling service contractors should have while on the job.

The very spot Edwin Drake introduced the first commercialized oil well.

We have also highlighted the different construction and repair tasks performed by workers across the industry in the upstream, midstream, downstream, and oilfield equipment and services occupations.  The blog discusses common hazards faced by employees in these occupations and some of the PPE that can keep them safe.

Oil and Gas construction workers must keep their feet protected at all times.

Fire and Explosion

Fire is one of the top hazards across the oil and gas industry.  Our blog on flash fire PPE explains the difference between limited-flammability (LF) and flame-resistant (FR) garments, and highlights MCR Safety products that offer LF or FR protection.

 
Flash Fire PPE

FR protection is crucial when preparing for the risk of flash fires.  These are a specific type of fire hazard that all workers need to be aware of.  Where fuel, vapors, dust, and air combust, they cause sudden, intense, and rapidly moving fires.  Though they only last 3 seconds or less, flash fires can cause debilitating injury or death to workers.

Upstream Workers

Work in drilling and exploration or equipment and services jobs comes with many risks: handling heavy tools and slippery objects.  You need to worry about crush and impact dangers, chemical spills and splashes, fire, and other hazards.

 
Upstream work comes with many risks to worker safety.

We’ve written blogs highlighting particular types of PPE that we think upstream workers will want to be aware of.  Having the right protection on a rig can keep you safe so that you can focus on the task at hand.  Check out our blog on oil rig safety gear.  In it, we discuss the six different phases of drilling operations that OSHA has set safety recommendations for.  We then take you step-by-step through each phase, listing potential hazards that you need to be aware of and showing you which of our products can help keep you safe.

 
Oil Rig Safety Gear

Our cotton gloves blog highlights why cotton gloves are preferred for work in the oil and gas industry: they are a great cost-effective choice for light maintenance jobs since they are flexible, soft, and cool, and offer oil absorption, cushioning, and insulating properties.  Unfortunately, most cotton gloves don’t offer protection against bump, abrasion, and crushing hazards.  MCR Safety is proud to offer cotton gloves in a variety of styles, including gloves with thermoplastic rubber (TPR) for back-of-hand protection for those jobs where you need it.

 
Cotton Gloves with TPR

Midstream Workers

The collection and transportation of crude oil, natural gas, refined petroleum products, and slurry is a crucial link between the production and refining work in the industry.  Workers face some of the hazards we mentioned above, plus dangers associated with heat stress, cutting and welding, and pigging.  MCR Safety is committed to developing the best products to keep midstream workers safe.

  
Crews Loading Section of Midstream Pipe

Our blog on welding in the oil and gas industry dives into some of the hazards faced by oil and gas welders, including extreme weather, electric shock, working in precarious conditions, and the dangers of sharp objects, sparks, spills, splatter, and molten metal.  We talk about welders’ need for high-visibility gear and superior eye protection.  Throughout the blog, we link our PPE that has been designed with welders in mind.

 
Welding across oil and gas operations requires specific PPE.

If you are involved in pigging, piping, or pumping operations, you will want to check out our blog on these crucial activities that ensure that oil and gas are moved efficiently and safely from their points of origin to the refineries.  Unfortunately, there are numerous hazards that these workers face, whether from chemical exposure, impact danger, abrasive handling, opening pipelines, or working in areas with vehicle traffic, just to name a few.  Our blog shares MCR Safety products that will protect you and your workers when completing these vital tasks.

 
Midstream PPE and Safety Gear

Downstream Workers

Once oil and gas reach refineries, they are in the capable hands of those who manufacture, refine, and market petroleum products.  Hazards faced by these workers include some that we pointed out earlier in this blog, and others such as arcing, hydroblasting, and exposure to UV radiation.

 
Refineries require cleaning and maintenance, so workers must wear excellent PPE across Downstream operations.

Our blog on cleaning refineries discusses the importance of properly maintaining refineries, the cleaning agents that workers use during the process, the parts of the refinery that need to be cleaned, and the steps of the cleaning process.  We discuss pressure washing as part of that routine and the PPE that you should wear to protect yourself when using a pressure washer, including, suits, gloves, face shields, and boots.

Cleaning Refineries

Our blog on turnarounds reviews the typical turnaround schedule and the top hazards that can be present during a turnaround.  These hazards include, but are not limited to, hydroblasting, fire and explosions, exposure to dust and other airborne particulate matter, and excessive noise from equipment.

 
Turnaround PPE

The turnaround process is complex and essential to refinery work.  We want workers to be protected at all stages and throughout the blog post, we’ve provided links to products that can help you guard against each of the hazards faced.

MCR Safety Is Dedicated to All Oil and Gas Workers

No matter what occupation you have, in whichever part of the oil and gas industry, MCR Safety is working to keep you safe while you are at your job site.  We hope that this summary of the content we have shared over the past 6 months has made it easier for you to find the right PPE for you or your workers’ needs.  Click the below image to explore all of MCR Safety's Oil and Gas industry resources.

For over 45 years, MCR Safety has proven to be a world-leader in gloves, glasses, and garments.  Whether it’s on the shop floor, an oil rig, or a construction site, we are there providing solutions to workplace hazards.  It’s all part of our commitment to protect people.  No matter your industry, we have the personal protection equipment you need.  We Protect People!

Learn more about MCR Safety by checking out our most recent video.  For more information, browse our website, request a catalog, find a distributor, or give us a call at 800-955-6887.