NORA Oil and Gas Extraction Council – Research Agenda

The National Occupational Research Agenda for Oil and Gas Extraction is intended to identify the knowledge and actions most urgently needed to promote safety and health in the oil and gas extraction industry. This agenda provides a vehicle for interested parties to describe the most relevant issues, research gaps, and needs for occupational safety and health It is meant to be broader than any one agency or organization.

In September 2016, the NORA Oil and Gas Extraction Sector Council met and began the process of developing a national research agenda for the third decade of NORA. As a starting point, council members were invited to respond to a brief questionnaire where they selected priority occupational safety and health issues for the nation. The survey responses were analyzed and then grouped into four categories: motor vehicle safety, worker safety (other than motor vehicle), health, and cross-cutting issues. A workgroup was formed for each of the four areas. In April 2017, the council met again with the goals of finalizing the objectives and providing supporting information for each. To do this, the council workgroups met in person with a template that asked them to respond to two questions for each objective: 1) Why is this important? and 2) What needs to be done? The workgroups identified the priority sub-objectives within their group and reported their summaries back to the full council. The agenda was refine over the following months, and additional input was sought through a public comment period in summer 2018.

Objective 1: Reduce Motor Vehicle Injuries and Fatalities

Objective 2: Reduce Non-vehicle Related Worker Injuries and Fatalities

Objective 3: Reduce Exposures to Hazards and Their Health Effects in Workers

Objective 4: Identify and Promote Proactive Strategies to Improve Oil and Gas Worker Safety and Health