Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 5, 2025
Collecting Sleep, Circadian, Fatigue, and Performance Data in Complex Operational Environments
Published on: August 8, 2019
Working Alone and/or in Remote Locations: Opportunities to Prevent the Risk of Fatality From Cardiovascular Events in
Stacy M Zimmerman1, Kenneth A Scott, Kaitlin C Wingate
1From the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (S.M.Z., E.W.); NIOSH Western States Division, Lakewood, Colorado (K.A.S., K.C.W., A.R.-C., K.H.-H., R.H.); and Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado, CU Anschutz, Aurora, Colorado (R.P.).
Objective:
The aim of the study is to explore personal and work factors related to fatal cardiac events among oil and gas extraction (OGE) workers.
Methods:
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Fatalities in Oil and Gas Extraction database was reviewed to identify fatal cardiac events among OGE workers from 2014 through 2019. A case series design was used to review case files, provide descriptive statistics, and summarize the findings.
Results:
There were 75 fatalities identified, including 55 (73%) with sufficient information for review. Of the 55 workers, 18 (33%) worked alone. Thirty-six fatal cardiac events (66%) were unwitnessed by a coworker. Toxicology findings suggested some possible exposures to hydrogen sulfide or hydrocarbon gases or vapors. Missing data were common.
Conclusions:
This study identified the need for cardiovascular disease prevention and treatment, emergency preparedness, lone worker programs, medical screening, and enhanced exposure control in the OGE industry.
Related Concept Videos
01:28Survey Safety
01:20Personal Protective Equipment
01:22Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation II: ACLS Airway Management
01:25Transmission-based Precautions II: Airborne and Protective Environment
Airborne precautions:
Use airborne precautions when treating patients known or suspected to have diseases that spread through the air—for example, tuberculosis or measles. These organisms are present in smaller droplets expelled by an infected person and...
01:20Exercise and Cardiovascular Response
Light to moderate physical activity initiates a series of interconnected responses in the body. The heart rate modestly increases in anticipation of the workout, followed by widespread vasodilation as oxygen consumption by skeletal muscles increases. This results in decreased peripheral resistance, increased capillary blood flow, and accelerated...
01:23Peripheral Artery Disease V: Postoperative Nursing Management