Hydrogen Sulfide: Deadly Toxin Profile What is it? Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) is an extremely toxic gas produced naturally from decaying biomass. Though H2S irritates the throat and eyes, its giveaway quality is its smell: a rank, rotten-egg odor that has earned this gas several nasty nicknames including “sewer gas” and “stink damp.” Who is at risk? How does it affect […]

Surviving a Hydrogen Sulfide Emergency Ask Texas oil workers and you’ll hear it from them: hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is the bogeyman in drilling. More than just offensive to the nostrils with its rotten-egg odor, hydrogen sulfide is extremely toxic, highly flammable, and very corrosive to metal. Sadly, it also causes permanent debilitation and fatalities in the oilfields every year. Fortunately, […]

Cheap Drilling Mud = Well Failure, or Worse In January of 2018, a surge of gas ignited and caused an oilfield fire that killed five men on a drilling rig near Quinton, Oklahoma. A following lawsuit alleged the deadly blowout was preventable: Red Mountain Energy, the owner and operator of the well, used a lighter drilling mud than recommended by experts. Why the cheaper […]

Hard Hat Area: Dangers of The Rig Floor Oilfield workers have one of the most dangerous jobs in America. Over one hundred oil and gas extraction workers are killed on the job each year, not including the thousands who suffer career-ending injuries. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) closely regulates gas and oil extraction to minimize dangers on the rig floor. Some […]