The Kenya Petroleum Oil Workers’ Union has raised concerns over the continued occupational safety and health risks facing employees across the petroleum, petrochemical, and upstream oil and gas exploration value chain in the country.
In a notice on Monday, June 8, 2026, the union has said that workers continue to operate in high-risk environments where they are exposed to hazards such as hydrogen sulphide (H₂S) gas, volatile petrochemical substances, pipeline integrity failures, refinery fire risks, and poorly managed emergency response systems at some operational sites.
"Workers continue to be exposed to high-risk environments, including hydrogen sulphide (H₂S) gas exposure, volatile petrochemical handling zones, pipeline integrity failures, refinery fire hazards, and poorly managed emergency response systems in some operational sites. These are not abstract risks; they are daily realities for frontline energy workers,” the union said in a statement.
In the union's view, these dangers are not theoretical but represent daily realities for thousands of frontline energy workers responsible for sustaining the country’s petroleum and energy sector.
The workers’ organisation warned that unless urgent interventions are implemented, workers will remain vulnerable to preventable accidents, injuries, and long-term health complications associated with exposure to hazardous substances and unsafe working conditions.
The union also expressed concern over what it termed ‘gaps in safety enforcement, incident reporting transparency, and regulatory compliance oversight within parts of the sector’.
It called on key regulatory agencies, including the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) and the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), to strengthen real-time monitoring and enforcement mechanisms.
Further, the union urged regulators to enhance public accountability whenever safety breaches occur, arguing that timely reporting and decisive enforcement action are critical in safeguarding both workers and the environment.
Beyond physical safety concerns, the union highlighted the growing psychological burden facing workers in the industry. It noted that long shifts, extended rotational schedules, and high-pressure operational environments are contributing to increased fatigue, stress, and mental health challenges among employees.
The organisation maintained that mental health and psychological well-being should be treated as integral components of occupational safety and health frameworks, rather than being viewed as secondary workplace concerns.
It called on employers, regulators, and policymakers to adopt a more comprehensive approach to workplace safety that addresses both physical and mental health risks while ensuring strict compliance with established safety standards across the petroleum and energy sector.
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