H2S Training in Midland: Classes, Cost and Renewal

Most Permian operators expect anyone who may be around hydrogen sulfide to have H2S training before they reach location. This guide covers what our class teaches, when and where it runs, what it costs, which card to check for, and how often you will need to renew. H2S is $125 per person, or $105 each for groups of 4 or more, and most operators expect the training every year.

Why H2S training comes up so often here

H2S, or sour gas, is often found in oil and gas formations. OSHA describes it as colorless, highly toxic and extremely flammable. It is heavier than air and can collect in low spots. At high concentrations it can drop a worker within one or two breaths (OSHA oil and gas eTool).

Texas has its own rule on it. Railroad Commission Statewide Rule 36 requires operators whose operations contain more than 100 ppm H2S to train employees who work in affected areas, and to use service companies whose people have been trained. The training must cover the hazards and characteristics of H2S, safety precautions, and how to operate safety equipment and life support systems (16 TAC §3.36). That is why a gate guard or a company man will ask for your card before you go to work.

What the class covers

OSHA points employers to ANSI/ASSP Z390.1, the accepted-practice standard for H2S training programs. The topics OSHA lists for H2S work include:

• Where H2S comes from and how it behaves on a location
• Signs and symptoms of exposure, and the exposure limits
• Detection methods, personal monitors and the alarms used on site
• Wind direction, escape routes and safe briefing areas
• Respiratory protection and other PPE
• Rescue and first aid for an H2S exposure

Source: OSHA eTool, H2S training topics. The numbers behind these topics, from the odor threshold to the levels that kill, are in What level of H2S is dangerous.

Our class follows ANSI Z390.1 and is taught in person, so you can ask about the locations you actually work on. The hands-on parts are required, not optional. Every student wears and reads a personal H2S monitor, bump tests it, and puts on an escape pack or SCBA. The class ends with a written test.

Schedule and location

• Thursdays: H2S from 8 AM to noon in Greenwood, Texas.
• Saturdays: H2S and First Aid/CPR/AED together, 8 AM to 5 PM.
• At your site: any day, at your yard, office or location.
• Class size: up to 10 people.

Open classes meet at Simba's yard, 9507 FM 307, Midland, TX 79706, on FM 307 just before Greenwood High School. It is about 10 miles east of downtown Midland, roughly 15 minutes by OpenStreetMap routing. From I-20, take the FM 307 (Greenwood) exit and follow FM 307 east about 6 miles.

Every student must bring a photo ID. When you book, give us each person's full name as it should appear on the card.

What it costs

H2S is $125 per person, or $105 each for groups of 4 or more. H2S plus First Aid/CPR/AED on the same day is $199, or $170 each for 4 or more. Booked separately, the two classes would be $220.

For comparison, public price lists from Permian training providers we checked on October 1, 2026 ranged from about $50 to $250 for H2S courses. Most of that spread comes from course length and the card issued. A cheap card your operator does not accept is not a savings.

Your card

Students who complete the class, including the written test, receive an H2S card. Whoever trains you, check the card for a completion date and an expiration date. If it shows only a completion date, count forward one year unless your operator says otherwise.

Check which card your operator accepts

H2S cards are not all the same. Some operators ask for a specific course, such as Veriforce's H2S Clear. Ask your supervisor or the operator's contractor coordinator which course they accept, and get the course name, not just "H2S." Then ask us whether our class fits before you pay. H2S Awareness vs. H2S Clear explains the difference and where operator requirements come from.

How long H2S certification is good for

Plan on renewing once a year. There is no OSHA standard written specifically for H2S training, as Veriforce points out. The industry follows ANSI/ASSP Z390.1 instead, and Veriforce says annual training is recommended under it (Veriforce). Veriforce lists its own H2S Clear course as required annually (Veriforce H2S Clear).

Each provider sets its own expiration, and an operator can set a stricter rule than the card. If the card and the operator disagree, the operator's rule decides whether you get through the gate.

A short refresher is usually not enough. Veriforce says abbreviated refresher training is no longer a valid option under current ANSI guidance, and that training should run 3 to 4 hours. Expect to retake a full class each year.

Keeping a crew current

• Keep one list with each person's name, course, completion date and expiration date.
• Set a reminder 30 to 60 days before each expiration.
• If your operators use ISNetworld or Veriforce, keep worker training records current there. See ISNetworld vs. PEC/Veriforce.
• Put people on the same class date where you can, so renewals line up and the group rate applies.
• Get new hires trained before their first day on location. They are the most common gap.

Questions worth asking each operator: which H2S course do you accept, how often must it be renewed, do you check the card at the gate, in ISNetworld or Veriforce, or both, and can a worker start before the card shows up in your system?

If your crew needs CPR too

Many crews need First Aid/CPR/AED as well as H2S. On Thursdays our 2-hour American Red Cross class runs from 1 to 3 PM, after the morning H2S class. On Saturdays both classes run together. CPR cards run on a different clock: a Red Cross certificate lasts two years, not one. See CPR certification in Midland-Odessa.