Power Play: Cooperation with regulators makes industry safer

At the same time, it's important that all parties respect each other at least enough to work together.

Doing so helps ensure that rules are both strong and reasonable and that they are enforced properly.

That cooperation is especially important when it comes to safety.

While businesses do not like rules that force them to spend money they see as unnecessary, few companies care so little about their employees that they are unwilling to work toward improving safety.

Besides the obvious moral importance of keeping workers safe, on-the-job accidents also are bad for business.

One way regulators and industry can work together is through groups like the Mid-Continent Exploration and Production Safety Network, which is a partnership between the oil and natural gas industry and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

The group was formed in 2008 with the goal of reducing fatalities and serious injuries in the oil and gas industry.

After a series of rig accidents in the first half of this year, OSHA in June asked the industry group for a safety stand-down at every rig site in the state. During the stand-downs, crews reviewed safety procedures and talked about the causes of accidents in the industry.