Shepherd Safety Systems, LLC

Shepherd Safety Systems is a start-up technology company devoted to protecting workers in all segments of the energy industry. Our patented Shepherd System combines on-site gas detection equipment with remote monitoring and notification capabilities to save lives in areas where deadly Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) and other explosive gases are present.

The Shepherd System was invented over a decade ago in a garage in Midland, Texas. After losing yet another colleague, Gary Crook decided to take action to prevent future unnecessary deaths caused by H2S gas. With 30+ years of experience at all levels of the oil business, Gary knew that standard gas detection systems have a major flaw: they only warn personnel who are being exposed to gas, and those workers are expected to evacuate to a safe location. But H2S gas can easily incapacitate a worker and prevent self-evacuation. An alarm is useless if the worker is incapacitated by gas. Additional deaths can occur when co-workers attempt to rescue a downed worker without taking proper precautions to protect themselves from exposure.

To solve this problem, Gary invented a mobile gas detection system that sends wireless H2S alarm and GPS location data to onsite and offsite personnel who can monitor ongoing activities and coordinate a safe rescue for any worker who is incapacitated by exposure to H2S or other hazardous gases. The Shepherd System catalogues all data collected from sensors, creating an extensive record of exposure levels and employees' responses, which increases accountability and provides invaluable information for Health, Safety and Environment professionals and executives.