Sunday, March 16, 1997

Abilene to kick off oil safety seminars

By BOB BRUCE

Senior Staff Writer

Abilene will be the launch site March 27 for a series of seminars on safety in the oil and gas industry.

Registration deadline is Friday for the local seminar. It will be taught by Wayne H. Davis at the TEEX Regional Training Center, 3650 Loop 322.

Davis, who is coordinator of petroleum training for TEEX, has more than 40 years' experience in the oil industry.

TEEX is the Texas Engineering Extension Service. It is helping sponsor the seminar, along with the Desk & Derrick Club of Abilene and OSHA - the Occupational Safety & Health Administration.

The all-day seminars will be taught in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Louisiana.

"Anywhere there's a Desk & Derrick Club," Davis said.

Davis said the seminars are "kind of a spinoff" of a program taught last year in three Kansas cities - Wichita, Great Bend and Liberal.

The seminar is designed to help operators, producers, well service companies and general contractors.

"That's where the majority of injuries and fatalities occur," he said.

Davis noted that 35 fatalities have occurred in the past three years in producing and well servicing in Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma.

Representatives from the Dallas regional office of OSHA will be on hand to answer questions, Davis said.

Topics will include hydrogen sulfide safety, electrical hazards, personal protective equipment, safety and health programs and recordkeeping.

Cost is $90. For more information, call Audra Horton of Desk & Derrick at 673-5057.

Horton also said March is Desk & Derrick Awareness Month, with D&D clubs focusing on membership drives, orientation programs and media exposure.

Abilene rig count drops to 20

Most West Texas cities reported increases in drilling activity but the Abilene area declined, Petroleum Information Corp. said Wednesday in its weekly report.

A breakdown of cities follows:

-- Abilene - 20 rigs, down from 21 the previous week.

-- San Angelo - 45 rigs, down from 48.

-- Midland - 73 rigs, up from 64.

-- Lubbock - 42 rigs, up from 36.

-- Wichita Falls - 16 rigs, up from 13.

Highway fuel demand to lessen, API says

Highway fuel consumption grew up 88 percent between 1966 and 1994 but that kind of growth is not expected in the future, says the American Petroleum Institute in Washington.

A study by API said heavy truck fuel demand is projected to rise 3 percent per year through 2010 but fuel demand for cars and light trucks is estimated to grow at only 1.1 percent per year.

Reasons cited by API included fuel efficiency of cars, which nearly doubled between 1974 and 1988.

A copy of the study, "U.S. Highway Fuel Demand: Trends and Prospects," is available free from API, Publications & Distributions Section, 1220 L Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005; phone (202)682-8375; fax (202)962-4776.

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The Reporter-News is interested in news from the oil industry. If you have information, please call Bob Bruce at 673-4271, Ext. 326, or write the Reporter-News at Box 30, Abilene, TX 79604.