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Caution required when farming around oil and gas facilities | |
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| | Agriculture is Alberta’s largest renewable industry and a significant contributor to our provinces’s economic and rural development. Being aware of hazards when farming is a priority and as is the case when working around power lines, farming around oil and gas facilities requires extra attention to protect everyone involved.
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Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB) regulations require companies to clearly mark oil and gas facilities with flags, fences, or cement barriers. However, it is important that farmers be aware of the location of wellheads and pipeline risers and make working safely around oil and gas equipment a priority.
Exercising caution when operating farm machinery around oil and gas equipment can prevent incidents that are potentially dangerous. Damage to oil and gas facilities can cause explosions, fires and/or the escape of sour gas. Any of these incidents could result in the loss of life, personal injury, environmental damage, evacuation of residential areas and costs to repair facilities and farming equipment.
Energy companies are required to have emergency response plans in the event damage does occur. The best way to deal with an emergency is to prevent it from happening to begin with.
If you do hit oil and gas surface equipment, stop work immediately and notify the appropriate oil and gas company. If you don’t know the company’s name, please call your local ERCB Field Centre. The Field Centres listed below can be reached 24 hours a day and toll free by first dialling 310-0000 and then the number of the closest ERCB Field Centre:
Bonnyville: (780) 826-5352
Drayton Valley: (780) 542-5182
Grande Prairie: (780) 538-5138
High Level: (780) 926-5399
Medicine Hat: (403) 527-3385
Midnapore (403) 297-8303
Red Deer: (403) 340-5454
St. Albert: (780) 460-3800
Wainwright: (780) 842-7570
The ERCB regulates the safe, responsible and efficient development of Alberta’s energy resources: oil, natural gas, oil sands, coal and pipelines. The ERCB’s mission is to ensure that the discovery, development and delivery of Alberta’s energy resources take place in a manner that is fair, responsible and in the public interest. |
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For more information about the content of this document, contact Kenda Lubeck.
This information published to the web on August 17, 2010.
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