The Oil & Gas industry operates in a high-risk environment. From massive infrastructure to valuable resources, the companies in this sector handle sensitive assets and information that must be adequately protected.
Criminal background checks are an essential tool in ensuring the safety and security of operations, personnel, and intellectual property in this critical sector.
These checks help verify the trustworthiness of potential employees and contractors, mitigating risks posed by individuals with a history of unlawful behavior.
The Oil & Gas Industry’s Unique Security Challenges
The Oil & Gas industry is unlike any other. With operations in remote areas, high-value assets, and complex regulatory requirements, its security challenges are vast and varied.
Threats range from physical damage to infrastructure to the potential for insider theft or fraud.
Criminal background checks serve as a crucial layer of defense in addressing these challenges.
Your company is responsible for maintaining safety, not just within its facilities, but also for the communities surrounding its operations.
Whether it’s onshore or offshore rigs, refineries, or transportation of hazardous materials, the potential for harm is significant.
As a result, those granted access to these operations must be properly vetted.
Types of Criminal Background Checks
Your Oil & Gas company must employ a variety of criminal background checks to ensure comprehensive coverage.
Each check focuses on different aspects of an individual’s criminal history, from local offenses to international violations.
These are the key types of criminal background checks relevant to the Oil & Gas industry:
National Criminal Database Check
The national criminal database check is one of the broadest screening tools.
It searches nationwide records for criminal offenses, providing an extensive view of an applicant’s criminal history.
This check uncovers felonies, misdemeanors, and other charges that might otherwise be missed in a more localized search.
County-Level Criminal Court Check
County-level criminal checks focus on the court records in specific areas where an individual has lived or worked.
These checks are highly detailed and provide the most accurate and up-to-date information about criminal cases tried within specific counties.
This check is particularly useful in identifying offenses that may not appear in national databases.
Federal Criminal Check
A federal criminal check targets crimes prosecuted at the federal level, such as fraud, embezzlement, or environmental crimes.
It identifies offenses that cross state lines or involve federal agencies. Federal criminal checks are essential for positions involving financial oversight or compliance responsibilities.
International Criminal Record Check
As most Oil & Gas companies operate globally, international criminal record checks are a key part of the hiring process for expatriates or foreign hires.
These checks ensure that candidates with international work experience that you hire at your company are free of serious offenses abroad.
This ensures that all relevant records, including criminal convictions, pending charges, or even warrants, are reviewed before you onboard employees for international projects.
Sex Offender Registry Check
a sex offender registry check is a necessary safeguard for positions where employees may work near communities or vulnerable populations.
This searches for individuals listed in state or national registries for offenses related to sexual misconduct.
Although your company may not directly involve vulnerable groups, certain projects, such as those near residential areas or onshore drilling sites, warrant extra precautions.
Terrorist Watchlist Check
Oil & Gas companies are often classified as critical infrastructure.
As such, ensuring that your employees and contractors aren’t linked to any terrorist organizations or activities should be a top priority for you.
A terrorist watchlist check searches databases such as the FBI watchlist and the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) list for potential links to terrorism.
This check is indispensable if your company is operating in regions prone to geopolitical instability or threats from extremist groups.
Motor Vehicle Records (MVR) Check
Driving is an integral part of many Oil & Gas industry roles, from transporting materials to operating heavy equipment.
A motor vehicle records check assesses an individual’s driving history, revealing any violations, suspensions, or DUI-related offenses.
For roles in your company that involve transporting hazardous materials or navigating difficult terrains, an employee’s driving record becomes crucial.
Benefits of Criminal Background Checks
Implementing comprehensive criminal background checks and thorough reference checks can offer you numerous benefits. These checks not only protect your company’s assets but also foster a safer, more secure working environment. Some of these are:
Enhanced Safety for High-Risk Operations
Criminal background checks help prevent individuals with violent tendencies from gaining access to your company’s sensitive facilities.
In high-risk environments, such as offshore platforms or chemical plants, the consequences of even a minor security breach could be disastrous.
When you ensure that your employees do not have a history of violent behavior – you can prevent many workplace incidents.
Safeguarding Intellectual Property and Proprietary Information
The Oil & Gas sector is highly competitive and innovative. You have to rely on trade secrets and proprietary technologies to maintain a competitive edge.
Criminal checks can help you filter out individuals with a history of fraud or intellectual property theft, preventing them from gaining access to valuable information.
Mitigating Legal and Compliance Risks
Strict regulations govern the Oil & Gas industry. Hiring individuals with criminal histories can expose your company to legal liabilities or regulatory penalties as can non-compliance with sanctions & PEP using a global database.
Background checks ensure compliance with industry standards and labor laws, and reduce the risk of fines or lawsuits.
Strengthening Relationships with Stakeholders
Your company must maintain strong relationships with investors, partners, and regulatory bodies.
Criminal background checks demonstrate a commitment to integrity and accountability. This helps you build trust among stakeholders.
Investors, in particular, are more likely to fund your company if it prioritizes security and ethics.
Reducing Turnover and Hiring Costs
Hiring the right people from the outset leads to a more stable workforce.
Criminal background checks help ensure that your employees are reliable with the potential for a long-term association.
Reduced turnover means lower recruitment and training costs, which is especially important in an industry that demands high levels of expertise and safety.
Maintaining Industry Compliance
The Oil & Gas industry is highly regulated, with strict guidelines on hiring practices and operational safety.
With criminal background checks, you can ensure you’re staying compliant with these regulations.
Failure to properly vet employees can result in non-compliance, leading to fines, operational delays, or worse—shutdowns by regulatory authorities.
Protecting Your Company’s Reputation
In today’s digital age, one bad hire can quickly damage your company’s reputation.
The cost of repairing your brand’s reputation can be enormous, both in terms of money and time.
Criminal background checks are a proactive step to safeguard your company’s image, ensuring you’re not dealing with the fallout from a preventable crisis.
Risks of Not Conducting Criminal Background Checks
While the benefits of criminal checks are numerous, the risks of neglecting them are even more serious. Some of these are:
Increased Risk of Workplace Violence
By not conducting thorough background checks, you risk hiring individuals with violent histories.
These individuals can pose a serious threat to your employees, contractors, or even local communities near your operations.
Workplace violence can lead to costly legal battles, medical expenses, and damaged morale across your team.
Exposure to Financial Fraud
If you’re not checking for financial crimes in a candidate’s history, you could be exposing your company to serious fraud risks.
Positions in accounting, procurement, or supply chain management often involve handling large sums of money or valuable assets.
Without a criminal check, you might end up hiring someone with a history of embezzlement or theft.
Higher Legal and Regulatory Penalties
As an Oil & Gas company, you face heightened scrutiny when it comes to regulatory compliance.
By hiring employees without criminal background checks, your organization may unintentionally violate industry regulations,
This is especially true if the role involves sensitive duties such as handling hazardous materials or working in high-risk environments.
Non-compliance with these regulations can lead to severe fines, sanctions, or even shutdowns.
Erosion of Stakeholder Confidence
Your stakeholders—whether they’re investors, partners, or government bodies—want to know that you’re running a secure and compliant operation.
If you hire individuals with criminal backgrounds without proper vetting, you shake their confidence in your ability to lead the business responsibly.
This can lead to loss of investment, delays in projects, or even the severing of key partnerships.
Risk of Sabotage or Insider Threats
The Oil & Gas industry is particularly vulnerable to sabotage, whether through direct acts of damage or intellectual property theft.
Individuals with criminal backgrounds may pose an insider threat if they harbor malicious intent.
They could exploit their position to harm your infrastructure or compromise sensitive information.
Proper criminal background checks and employee drug & health checks allow you to identify red flags and prevent potential sabotage from within your organization.
Loss of Productivity and Employee Morale
When employees find out that someone with a criminal record—particularly for violent or dishonest behavior—has been hired, it can affect workplace morale.
Employees may feel unsafe, and this can directly impact productivity.
A negative work environment can spread quickly, leading to disengagement, absenteeism, and ultimately, higher turnover.
Damage to Public Relations and Corporate Image
The Oil & Gas industry is constantly in the public eye, and public relations are key to sustaining a good corporate image.
A criminal act committed by an employee—especially one that could have been avoided through a background check—can lead to a PR disaster.
Media scrutiny can be unforgiving, and your company’s name can be dragged through the mud.
Best Practices for Implementing Criminal Background Checks
To truly protect your company from these risks, you must integrate criminal background checks into your hiring and employment practices.
These are the best practices that will help you maximize the effectiveness of these checks:
Establish Clear Screening Policies
One of the first things you should do is establish clear policies for criminal background checks that apply to all levels of hiring in your company.
Define which positions require specific types of criminal checks, such as federal, county, or international.
By creating clear guidelines, you ensure consistency across your hiring practices. This also helps candidates understand the process and sets a standard of transparency.
Work with a Reputable Background Verification Company
You don’t want to take chances with something as important as criminal background checks. Consider partnering with an experienced and reputable background verification company.
They have access to comprehensive databases and understand the nuances of both local and international regulations.
This helps them design a screening process that is both thorough and compliant, ensuring you’re not missing crucial information on potential hires.
A professional background check service can quickly and accurately provide the information you need, keeping your hiring process efficient and reliable.
Ensure Fair and Consistent Screening
When you’re conducting criminal background checks, it’s important to apply the same standards to all candidates.
Inconsistent screening practices can lead to discrimination claims or regulatory issues.
Make sure that all employees and contractors, regardless of their role or status, are subject to the same level of scrutiny.
This not only protects your company legally but also promotes a culture of fairness and transparency.
Implement Ongoing Background Screening
Don’t assume that a one-time background check is enough. Don’t make the mistake of only screening candidates at the time of hiring and never conducting follow-up checks.
This is particularly important for employees in sensitive positions or those with access to critical infrastructure and data.
Ongoing checks can alert you to any criminal activity that occurs during employment, allowing you to address issues before they escalate.
Educate Your Employees on Security Protocols
Your entire team must be aware of the security protocols and the reasons behind them.
Educate your employees about the importance of background checks. By sharing with them – how they contribute to a safer workplace – you can foster a culture of responsibility and awareness.
When everyone understands the value of security measures, they are more likely to support and comply with them.
Align Screening with Industry Regulations
The Oil & Gas industry has its own set of regulations when it comes to safety, security, and compliance.
Your company’s criminal background checks must align with these industry-specific requirements.
Protect Candidate Privacy
While it’s critical to conduct thorough criminal checks, you must also respect the privacy of your candidates.
Be transparent about the background check process and ensure that any information gathered is kept confidential and only used for employment purposes.
Conclusion
Criminal background checks are not just an administrative formality—they are a crucial component of risk management for any Oil & Gas company.
By prioritizing these checks, you protect your workforce, safeguard your assets, and maintain your company’s reputation.
As a leader, it’s your responsibility to ensure that your company’s security protocols are up-to-date and robust.
You can also consider partnering with a reputable background verification company to ensure consistency in your screening processes.
Why AMS Inform For Criminal Background Checks?
For organizations that prioritize comprehensive criminal background checks, partnering with AMS Inform is a preferred choice.
Founded in 1986, AMS Inform brings nearly four decades of expertise in the background verification industry, making it a trusted leader in the field.
Our team is well-versed in conducting criminal background checks, as well as offering services such as digital ID verification, educational verification, identity checks, and pre-and post-employment verifications.
We also provide credit checks, health and drug screening, insurance claim investigations, and language translation services to meet a variety of business needs.
By choosing to collaborate with AMS Inform, you not only ensure compliance with industry regulations but also streamline your processes, saving valuable time.
With a global reach in over 160 countries and dedicated local teams in 16 of them, we are equipped to support your operations across the globe effectively.
As a member of the NASSCOM and PBSA communities, we are committed to safeguarding both your company’s reputation and operational health.
Get in touch with our team today for custom-tailored solutions that meet your criminal background check needs.
