PPE Powers American Energy Dominance
American Energy is a Safety Leader
From the oil fields of West Texas to the refineries of Louisiana, energy industry workers are routinely exposed to harsh environments, explosive atmospheres, heavy machinery, and confined spaces.
Despite this, injury rates in Oil & Gas are lower than most other capital-intensive industries, due to the industry’s strong record of investing in safety. This is good for workers and balance sheets. A single day of lost production at a refinery can cost $25M.
$25 Million Lost
68% Lower
PPE Keeps America’s Energy Renaissance Running
Over 1M American energy sector workers rely on PPE daily, including flame-resistant clothing, respiratory protection, safety gloves, helmets, and gas detection devices.
Hand injuries account for over 50% of oil & gas industry injuries. A $5 pair of cut-resistant gloves prevents a $40,000 hand injury.
Oil & gas workers are exposed to harmful substances. $50 coveralls protect the worker against burn injuries which can cost $100,000+.
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A Global Safety Supply Chain is Good for Workers
These and other critical types of PPE are not produced in sufficient quantities, and at sufficient quality levels, in the U.S. Critical components are globally sourced and cannot be easily or quickly re-sourced domestically without compromising quality or availability.
“A majority of fire resistant high visibility fabric (critical for oil & gas PPE) is made in the U.S. However, there isn’t the workforce or production capacity in the U.S. to manufacture finished garments at scale. We’ve attempted near-shoring twice (in Mexico), but we were plagued with quality issues, production delays, and labor cost increases. Our lost sales were in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Buying fabric in the U.S., shipping it to Asia for production, and then reimporting is less expensive than nearshoring, resulting in a higher quality (and safer) product, and allowing us to keep costs low for the workers we protect.” — VP Operations, U.S. PPE Manufacturer
PPE Tariffs Put American Energy Dominance at Risk
ISEA analysis shows that a tariff-induced increase in PPE prices, and decrease in PPE availability, will have a negative impact on worker safety and U.S. economic output.
If worker injuries increase by just 1% (the most conservative estimate), the impact is projected to be:
25,690
American workers injured
$1.1 Billion
Cost to the U.S. economy
PPE Tariffs Put American Energy Dominance at Risk
59% of ISEA members report safety professionals delaying PPE purchases, in many cases using PPE far beyond its useful lifespan.
Workplaces Are Downgrading PPE Quality
41% report safety professionals switching to cheaper, potentially less protective PPE, putting workers at risk.
PPE Keeps America Running
$25 Million Lost
$176.5 Billion
Sources: ISEA, National Safety Council
