Wyoming is adopting new safety rules for oil and gas drilling during a year in which accidents have killed five oil and gas workers in the state.
Wyoming consistently ranks among the most dangerous states for workers, largely due to accidents in the oil and gas industry.
Among other changes, the new rules prohibit smoking within 75 feet of a well bore and require rig workers to get annual fire extinguisher training.
A public hearing on the proposed rules is scheduled for Dec. 2 in Casper.
Three men died when two tanks holding oil and water exploded northeast of Casper in August. Accidents on drilling rigs killed two others earlier this year. Oil and gas industry accidents killed 62 people in Wyoming from
2001 to 2008.
