Texas RRC, Texas A&M Launch Electrical Safety Training for Oilfield Inspectors
The Texas Railroad Commission has teamed up with the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service to train oil and gas inspectors on electrical safety and wildfire prevention, World Oil reports.
Thirty RRC inspectors from across Texas completed the inaugural Electrical Transmission and Distribution course, held Aug. 3-4 in Austin. The 10-hour hands-on program trains inspectors to evaluate the operation and maintenance of electrical power lines at well sites and production facilities, and to spot wildfire hazards and electrical safety issues in the field.
What Changed
The course aligns with OSHA hazard recognition and electrical safety principles, and inspectors who complete it earn an OSHA 10-hour certification with an ET&D endorsement. RRC Executive Director Wei Wang said the partnership gives inspectors “essential, life-saving training” and reflects the agency’s commitment to “protecting communities and natural resources throughout Texas, while also enhancing the responsible oversight that strengthens our state’s energy sector.”
The training ties directly into enforcement of Texas Administrative Code rules on electrical power line operation and maintenance at oil and gas facilities, and it supports House Bill 143, passed during the 89th Texas Legislative Session. The RRC says the program builds on internal inspector training rolled out last year and is meant to tighten field safety, regulatory compliance and wildfire prevention statewide.
What It Means for Subcontractors
- Electrical contractors and E&I crews working on well site power lines and production facility wiring should expect closer inspector scrutiny on power line operation and maintenance, now backed by inspectors holding OSHA 10-hour ET&D certification.
- Operators and their electrical subcontractors in wildfire-prone regions of Texas should review power line maintenance records now, since RRC inspectors trained under this program are specifically screening for wildfire hazards during field visits.
- Companies bidding on or performing electrical work at Texas well sites should confirm their own crews’ OSHA 10-hour and hazard recognition training is current, as RRC enforcement is tied to Texas Administrative Code requirements referenced in this training rollout.
- Firms operating near the House Bill 143 compliance framework from the 89th Legislative Session should track any related RRC guidance or inspection checklists tied to this law, since the training program is explicitly built to support its enforcement.
