bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Approach to Sustainability and the Promotion of Local Content
Authors: Bersani Raffaella , Stampa Marco , De Sanctis Sabatino
Published: July 2010

As international oil & gas contractor with more than 37,000 employees working in more than 50 countries, Saipem plays a significant role in its market and in the economic welfare and development of the communities in which it operates. Saipem commitment is therefore to create long term value by working with its stakeholders towards shared goals.

Given the range and the complexity of Saipem activities, the engagement with local stakeholders requires a comprehensive approach. However, the diversity of the projects and the specificity of the countries and context in which they are performed demand a distinctively local approach to sustainability. Saipem decentralized organisation helps to respond to local needs and sustainability issues.

In fact, everywhere it works, Saipem has an active role in the local communities, mainly offering employment opportunities, personnel training, by working effectively with local suppliers and subcontractors, creating economic and social value, and finally to contribute to infrastructure construction. Maximising Local Content is one of the main features of Saipem business approach. Saipem people are from 115 nationalities and 85% of them are locally employed. Besides, among all managers, 79% are locals.

Considering the business of Saipem, its activities are usually conducted in a short period of time (from few months to few years), while, in certain areas, Saipem has set up its presence with a long term perspective installing operational bases and fabrication yards. Therefore its approach to Sustainability and the promotion of Local Content depends on the type and period of presence in one area.

In countries with a long term presence such as Nigeria, Peru and Kazakhstan, Saipem has already implemented a strategy to promote and implement Local Content in term of employing local people, training and transferring know-how both also promoting the local entrepreneurship. The same approach, considering the specificity of a country, is now applied in new countries where Saipem has more recenltly started its activities, such as Brazil.
A Study of Working Pattern and Fatigue in One Oil and Gas Company in Indonesia
Authors: Safitri D. , Rusdiana A.
Published: July 2010

Most people do not consider fatigue as problem as it is known as general complaint from workers' population, even though there was proven existence of fatigue as one of root cause of many major incidents and its relation with health problem Muscoloskeletal Disorders. It is reported that almost 20% of the worker's population reporting fatigue symptom.

Fatigue is described in many ways and definition based on background science, relation with work, measurement method and contributing factor. In Indonesia, there is still limited study and research on fatigue, especially study on relation between work pattern and fatigue.

As one of oil and gas company in Indonesia, the company implements working pattern which complies with national regulation on working hour in order to achieve 24 hours working operation. There are 2 common types of working pattern used in company's sites i.e. 2 weeks on – 2 weeks off and 2 weeks on – 1 week off.

The purposes of this research are in order to know fatigue condition of employees who work at the one of oil and gas company in East Kalimantan and the relation between fatigue and working pattern, age, working tenure, working type, working hour for taking necessary and mitigating actions.

The research design is cross sectional and fatigue measurement using two methods i.e. Fatigue Assessment Scale (FAS) questionnaire and reaction timer. Samples are taken from worker population in one of company's site.

The result showed that prevalence of worker with fatigue is varying from 33% up to 88%. In this research, working pattern does not have relation with fatigue while working hour has relation with fatigue. Multivariate analysis showed that working type, age and working hour are dominant factors which are contributing to fatigue.

Establish procedure on work pattern, optimize rest and break time, working time arrangement, working environment management, fitness and sport program and annual medical program are mitigation programs for fatigue management on site. The research has benefit in giving contribution for fatigue research in Indonesia, defines necessary action to improve employee health and welfare and prevent the incident which is caused by improper working schedule.
Succeeding in a Conflict Zone: Delivering Economic and Social Opportunity
Authors: Orsini Yadaira , Mejia Juan Carlos , Jimenez Mariana , Ucros Juan Carlos
Published: July 2010

Occidental de Colombia, Inc. (Oxy) has become a catalyst of positive change in the Arauca province, where it operates, by building partnerships to strengthen human rights, investing in social programs to drive self-sufficiency and generate economic impact, and raising legal standards for sustainability. Despite a complex security context, Oxy's comprehensive approach has contributed significantly to the region's more favorable economic and social outlook.
CCGS Opportunities in the Santos Basin Pre-Salt Development
Authors: de Almeida Alberto Sampaio , de Tarso Cerqueira Lima Saulo , Rocha Paulo Sergio , de Andrade Ana Maria , Branco Celso C. , Pinto Antônio C.
Published: July 2010

This paper describes the current studies to define alternatives for the geological storage of the CO2 present in the associated gas to be produced from the Pre-salt reservoirs of the Santos Basin, Brazil.

Recent hydrocarbon discoveries in Santos Basin, offshore Brazil, in the so-called pre-salt reservoirs, brought many challenges for the production development (Beltrao et al., 2009). The reservoirs are heterogeneous microbialite carbonates, located below up to 2,000 m salt layer thickness, in water depths of 2,200 m. The oil is a 28 – 30°API, with GOR higher than 200 m3/m3. Besides the unique environment, one additional challenge is the variable CO2 content in the associated gas.

The sustainable hydrocarbon production from the pre-salt reservoirs will, then, require, in line with Petrobras and its partners' vision, avoiding emissions of the CO2 produced together with the hydrocarbon. The task that would be difficult for onshore oil fields reaches unparalleled complexity in the subsea completion deep water production scenario. Some alternatives are under study for the CO2 capture and storage: reinjection in the producing reservoirs, in salt caves, in salt water aquifers, in depleted gas reservoirs and even transportation and use of the CO2 for industrial purposes.

Although still in the early stages of development, work done so far paved the way for robust and sustainable gas processing and CO2 separation, compression and reinjection in secure sub surface geological horizons. The current analysis indicate that the best alternative seems to be the reinjection in the oil producing reservoirs, with a good perspective of enhanced oil recovery by the association of gas and water injection in the Water Alternating Gas (WAG) process.
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Defining Boundaries and Managing of Wetlands in Oil and Gas Projects
Authors: Obele Juan Raúl
Published: July 2010

This work's scope was to do EIA of oil projects in Tabasco, northern Chiapas and the south of Veracruz, Mexico, by means of the identification, boundary definition and classification of wetlands. Different protection and conservation measures were established in order to mitigate and compensate the possible impacts of the oil activity in the region.

The application

goes towards the environmental management of the projects of exploration and oil production to realise in zones with wetlands, with a robust environmental impact assessment supported in a systemic characterization of the areas using botanical, ecological and hydrologic and criteria.

Using updated satellite imageries and orthophotos, which were verified with GPS, an inventory of wetlands was obtained, getting the specific final cartography delimited wetlands into the following kinds: Mangrove swamps, Hydrophytic vegetation, Transition zone and Flooding pastures. These criteria supported the assessment of beneficial and adverse impacts and the determination of the prevention, mitigation and/or compensation measures for each type of wetland.

Observations.

This modality of environmental impact assessment, allowed to get the authorizations in this subject for the projects of oil & gas exploration and production from the regulatory dependency that administers the country's environmental aspects

Once the environmental authorization was obtained, it was implemented an accredited environmental overseer, represented by a degree granting institution, that has been worth and gives control to the development of Works, a work team that interacts with environmental overseer for the correct planning and execution of the works.

Conclusions.

The knowledge and classification of the wetlands ecosystems allows to establish specific strategies of managing, the conservation of the more sensible wetlands ecosystems such as mangrove swamp and the protection of wetlands in which oil extraction occurs, thus like an assessment and effective management of the environmental impact of oil projects.

Contribution.

The boundary of wetlands for EIA is an initiative without precedents in Mexico and the criteria of wetlands managing established in this study, could be applied for similar ecosystems around the world, preserving biodiversity and factor against the climate change.
HSE Leadership – One Company's Process Safety Journey
Authors: Flynn Steven A.
Published: July 2010

A major change effort affecting all sectors of the BP group was initiated following the Texas City Refinery fire and explosion in 2005. This paper provides an overview of the programmes and the changes made from a leadership perspective. Key components:

Immediate risk reduction measures – to eliminate, mitigate and manage risks Management system improvements – to provide a framework for change People – major capability building programmes, focused on operations leadership and process safety knowledge Assessment and performance monitoring – including monitoring of leading and lagging indicators, and audit programme Leadership and management oversight

The progress is illustrated by lessons and examples from the E&P sector that can be used by others pursuing major changes.
Assessing Safety Culture with the Help of an Innovative Dedicated Interpretation Tool
Authors: Blanc Philippe , Montaudoin Thomas , Lafaille Alain , Boissières Ivan , Simard Marcel
Published: July 2010

Significant safety performance improvement in high risk industry cannot be reached unless human and organizational factors are taken into account; this is a compulsory element of the successful implementation of a safety management system. Most of the time this is achieved through the assessment of a level or type of safety culture, performed through safety perception surveys, possibly completed by focus groups interviews. Generally such programs require specific expertise and sociological skills, most of which being external to the company.

In order to ease such a process, TOTAL SA has developed a global safety culture assessment toolkit. The key element of this toolkit is an innovative computerized system to process and help the interpretation of data steming from safety culture perception surveys. User-friendliness of the software allows automatic delivery of indices and charts which enable to rapidly diagnose the key elements of safety culture in terms of strengths and weaknesses, and organized along a pattern of themes such as: Risk perception, Safety culture type beliefs, Organization and work context, Management leadership, Technical safety management, Behavioural safety management, Employees' behaviors, Employees' involvement, Employees' compliance, Work team / peers influence, and Ergonomics / Engineering. Additional Health and Environment themes lead to a SHE culture assessment.

New 2-D diagrams are included, yielding safety culture signatures whick make it possible to undertake benchmarking between different organizations (companies, units, activities, sites, etc.). A statistical module is also proposed to measure consistency level of the responses.

This new tool has been successfully applied in different entities of TOTAL group, either Exploration & Production affiliates or Refineries. Typical results are shown in this paper. In case additional interviews are deemed necessary to clarify some results, then the tool allows rapid and easy identification of the focus groups of people to be considered, as well as the topics to be preferentially discussed. The tool can be customized to any organization, safety culture model, questionnaire, themes, respondents' criteria, responses scales, etc. It is part of a global SHE management tools chain to reduce uncertainty in risk management.
Delivering in Sensitive Environments: Incorporating Biodiversity and Ecosystem Conservation into Operations
Authors: Pedroni P. M. , Deffis J. M. , di Catenaja C. Alberti
Published: July 2010

Maintaining a license to operate and access new resources requires that the Oil & Gas (O&G) industry demonstrates its operations are compatible with the conservation and sustainable use of nature. This is particularly critical when activities overlap with sensitive environments where biodiversity and productive ecosystems sustain human populations. This overlap has significantly increased, worldwide, in the last decade.

At the same time, pressure has grown from civil society, governments and investors as biodiversity loss has accelerated and ecosystem services have deteriorated. Climate change has raised the stakes. To meet expectations, the O&G industry needs to assess, mitigate and report on biodiversity impacts throughout the project life cycle. It is also asked to positively contribute to nature conservation using market-based mechanisms conceived as innovative business opportunities.

Demonstrating that our business can be biodiversity-responsible is challenging. It requires an understanding of biodiversity in operating environments, how onshore and offshore activities depend on and can affect them, and how ecosystem services are used and also affected by local communities. The outcomes must then be incorporated into Environmental Management Systems as part of everyday operational practices.

The Ecuadorian Amazon and the Alaskan North Slope are both highly sensitive operating environments. Working in partnership with Fauna and Flora International, local Universities and with our Subsidiaries, we assessed biodiversity and ecosystem service issues in relation to our onshore and offshore operations, including the presence and concerns of local communities.

In Ecuador we looked at changes in pattern and quality of the forest over time in and around the operation using GIS analysis of satellite imagery, and compared the effects of oil and non-oil activities on biodiversity using a range of water, floral and faunal indicators. We also examined how recovery of land take areas can be accelerated. On the North Slope, we carried out a biodiversity and ecosystem services risk/opportunity assessment to identify and deal with significant issues, such as polar bears, whales and migratory birds, through targeted action planning.

We will use these case studies, among others which Eni is currently involved in, to share best practices and to show how to integrate biodiversity and ecosystem services into Eni E&P global operations.
Implementation of the OGP Lifting and Hoisting Recommended Practice
Authors: Lawrie Graeme
Published: July 2010

In July 2006, the International Association of Oil & Gas Producers (OGP) lifting and hoisting task force published a recommended practice (RP) in an attempt to significantly reduce the number of accidents and incidents associated with mechanical lifting. The recommended practice was developed for senior management and was designed to provide a systematic approach to the safe management of lifting and hoisting operations. The document was supported with an on-line repository of best practice examples and proprietary "tools."

In November 2008, the lifting and hoisting task force issued a questionnaire to OGP member companies to determine the level of implementation of the RP, how companies make use of the RP, any gaps or weaknesses in the content or structure of the RP, and any suggestions for improvement. This paper summarizes the feedback from the questionnaire and explains how operators have utilized the recommended practice and defined opportunities for improvement.

The paper also defines the work of the OGP lifting and hoisting task force and describes the plan to further promote the recommended practice and expand the implementation beyond operators to service companies, contractors, and consultants.
SSH&E Management (of Processes) coupled with SSH&E Leadership (of People) Yields the Desired Results
Authors: Schilhab Robert D. , Gilbert Donald L. , Mekelburg Thomas A.
Published: July 2010

This paper will describe the approach utilized by ExxonMobil Development Company to align key Safety, Security, Health, and Environment (SSH&E) actions of project leaders with performance expectations using a unique combination of commonly available tools. A discussion will be presented which describes the difference in influence and efficacy between activities associated with the management of operational risks, through the implementation, resourcing, and stewardship of structured management systems, compared to the visible leadership behaviors that promote and sustain a healthy SSH&E "culture". Only through developing and sustaining a healthy culture can the desired performance be maintained, particularly amidst the flux of a global organization challenged with implementing multi-billion dollar upstream development projects, in locations of varying cultures and infrastructure maturity.

The application of the described tools can be undertaken in any context, but the approaches utilized by ExxonMobil Development Company (EMDC) have been particularly useful in addressing the challenges associated with the execution of large projects. The approaches discussed in this paper include the use of safety culture surveys, collaborative development of SSH&E Strategies and Tactics, Safety Leadership Workshops, and development of Personal SSH&E Leadership Plans by senior leaders. These approaches continue to evolve and produce results, and some members of the contractor community have begun to apply them throughout individual projects and sites.

The paper will describe recent performance results that support validation of the approaches in use. Statistical results (e.g., performance metrics) will be presented, as well as qualitative accounts of behaviors supportive of the underpinning "lead by example" philosophy.
Resource Efficiency Programs in an Oilfield Service Company Using Real-Time Monitoring
Authors: Forbes David
Published: July 2010

An oilfield services company has developed and implemented a resource-efficiency trial program using real-time monitoring and reporting of its electricity, gas, and water consumption in some of its United Kingdom (UK) facilities. An external review was commissioned to research and assess ways to provide detailed utility usage data and develop a system to effectively deliver and share these data with multiple users such as facilities managers, environmental managers, and purchasing managers.

A smart-metering system was implemented, combining some existing utility meters with newly installed meters at selected sites to provide real-time measurements every 30 minutes. Remote access to the data was enabled through a secure web server, and an intuitive graphical interface provided effective display functionality.

The initial target was to review usage over a 24-hour cycle. The trial also indicated the effectiveness of weekly, monthly, and seasonal monitoring. After initial trials were completed, the company was able to identify resource consumption savings, achieving overall substantial cost savings in the process. In some locations, the new system immediately highlighted opportunities for energy-saving actions that easily justified the cost of installing new meters. The simple technology can be easily applied to any office, field support base, data center, or maintenance facility, anywhere in the world. The system is now being expanded beyond the trial sites to include all of the company's North Sea locations, and applications at other onshore and offshore facilities are being considered.

The new system provides accurate data to support the reporting requirements of expected UK Government carbon emissions reduction and energy efficiency legislation. Similar schemes are likely to emerge in other countries.

System enhancements and additional performance indicators are being considered to enable a better understanding of energy- use patterns and to make comparisons between different sites more meaningful.
Implementing a Healthy Heart Program for Oilfield Personnel
Authors: Zambrano John J.
Published: July 2010

Health problems faced by employees in the oilfield sector broaden to common and prevalent pathologies that have a higher incidence than in the general population, such as overweight, dyslipidemia (elevation of the lipids in the blood), blood hypertension, and high psychological stress levels, among others.

Some of these health problems have clear modifiable factors, for which is possible to effectively intervene in a low-cost manner, obtaining a short-term positive outcome.

Medical problems resulting from inadequate eating habits and lack of opportunities to develop a regular physical activity program, particularly in field operations, make overweight and obesity and hyperlipidemias constitute a main biological risk factor for people working in this industry.

Health statistics from a multinational oilfield services company operating in Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador show that one out of two employees presents a high cardiovascular risk as a result of these factors.

This paper discusses the initiatives taken to reduce this specific cardiovascular risk at the oilfield services company. The Healthy Heart program focused on two of the factors noted: healthy eating habits and regular physical activity.

Some of the strategies implemented to achieve both nutritional and physical goals are analyzed. This paper discusses potential benefits for employees and the company: for personnel, implementing healthy, useful and motivating strategies, and for the company, investing in low-cost approaches to control potential expenditure associated with problems derived from these diseases and their biological, psychosocial, and economic consequences.

The paper discusses the initial results and benefits of the Healthy Heart program.
Survivability Risk Assessment During Hydrocarbon-Related Accident Events for Subsea Well Intervention Operations from Smaller Non-Drilling Ship Shaped Vessels
Authors: Royes Fleur D.
Published: July 2010

The recent emphasis in performing electric line and coiled tubing operations on subsea trees from ship-shaped vessels smaller than conventional drilling units has introduced a new set of challenges in keeping people safe during major accident events. The most significant of these is preventing the impairment of escape, evacuation and rescue facilities during uncontrolled hydrocarbon accident events, such as, releases originating from the well or, in the case of coiled tubing operations, from the return of pumped and well fluids to surface.

Open water wireline systems by their nature do not involve such risks, however coiled tubing operations involve a conduit between the well and the vessel and, depending on the nature of the preventative measures incorporated in the design of the intervention system, exceeding the allowable impairment frequencies is possible. Adopting the design principles of an open water wireline intervention package to coiled tubing operations where the wellbore is restricted subsea during operations provides distinct advantages as the probability of an accident event is significantly reduced.

Reducing the probability of hydrocarbon related events is critical in the design of the well intervention package and the consequent safety of the system and its operations. This is because well intervention vessels, unlike typical offshore vessels such as semi-submersibles and drillships, do not provide the same inherent protection as traditional offshore vessels against these types of accident events.

This paper presents how to manage the safety of personnel during hydrocarbon related accident events during well intervention operations on an intervention vessel as a function of the design of the invention system in consideration of the consequences for the identified accident events. The paper also assesses the safety associated with each type of intervention system and the vessel of operation relative to each another in terms of impairment frequencies.
IIF (Incident and Injury Free) Implementation in The Workplace
Authors: Sugimoto Toru
Published: July 2010

In the oil and gas industry, in the last decade the incident frequency rate has been gradually reduced and formed a plateau, which is extremely difficult to further reduce to zero. Behaviour base safety approach is believed to be one of the solutions to make the incident frequency rate to start descending again. Numerous studies and surveys have been conducted for behavior base safety and "incident and injury free" programmes are more and more focusing on behavior base safety.

Incident and injury free programme has been introduced and implemented in Pearl GTL project in Qatar. The programme is working very well and, at the same time, it is also been observed that its effectiveness depends on how to implement the programme.

Basic principle of Incident and Injury Free program is ‘the relationship is the foundation of the accomplishment’, in which the more the relationship between employees are strengthened, and the better results can be achieved. This concept is conveyed to the individual employee via IIF orientation program, which also provides training for the frontline supervisors as IIF supervisor skill training, since frontline supervisors are strategically the key players of the program.

Pearl GTL Project has established a specific organization for IIF implementation and monitoring. Although, everybody is involved in the IIF practice, the IIF leaders in the organization consist of management and supervisors selected from Client, Contractor and subcontractor teams.

The effectiveness of the program is monitored through the "field atmosphere", and people's reactions to the IIF culture developed. Statistics are also used to measure the effectiveness. At the Site, the safety culture has been drastically improved by the IIF introduction and this is demonstrated not only by the manner in which supervisors and workers willingly adhere to safe work practices, but also by their suggestions for better safe work practices. Safety has become a common discussion topic among workers. Because of this, the trend of incident frequency rate is slowly, but gradually and steadily improving, whereas the trend before IIF introduction was substantially volatile.

Impact of the IIF programme depends on how the programme is implemented. Management leadership is the most crucial factor for the successful implementation. Safety culture development and its sustainability, which are the project objective, are attainable only with the robust management leadership. Management involvement, including site walks and talks with workforce, safety talks during training, provides to the personnel the confidence of management commitment and safe direction.
An Oilfield Services Malaria Prevention Program in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Strategy for Sustained Effectiveness
Authors: Okorocha Uche , Barbey Alex
Published: July 2010

In 2003, in response to a series of malaria fatalities among employees during the previous 18 months, an oilfield services company launched a Malaria Prevention Program aimed at protecting employees and their families mostly in sub-Saharan Africa, where the malaria risk is highest (Barbey et al., 2006). The program has proved effective in reducing malaria incidence and fatalities within the company—from four in the preceding two-year period to two over the past six years.

While the program has been effective and continual improvements to the various elements of the program have been made during the six years of implementation, it has also suffered setbacks from the merely undesirable to the catastrophic.

This paper explores how it became necessary to recalibrate the program, with a continued focus on behavior change and introduction of additional stringent procedures. Both individual and management accountability are emphasized as a strategy for sustained effectiveness.
Increasing the Pace of Technology Innovation and Application to Enable Climate Change Solutions
Authors: Kheshgi Haroon , Lee Arthur , Levang Oddvar , Linhares Monica , Juez Jaime Martin , Poot Brigitte , Siveter Robert
Published: July 2010

The timely deployment of existing technologies, and new technology innovation, is essential to meet the world's growing energy demand. The pace of technology change will be driven by multiple priorities including development and the eradication of energy poverty, the evolving geography of energy resources and demand, and the need to manage climate change risk. Even with the enormous rewards of technological progress, the pace of major technological change has historically been limited. However change between energy resources (e.g. from wood to coal) and major infrastructures (e.g. from rail to roads) have exhibited transitions of roughly 50 years for each step (inception to global deployment). For technology change to be rapid enough to manage climate risk effectively, may require a pace that is far more rapid than past experience. The creation of policy options to accelerate the pace will be critical. This paper presents findings from a workshop organized by IPIECA to examine issues that drive or inhibit the pace of technology innovation and application for addressing the climate change challenge.
The Scrap Heap Challenge – Waste Management for Decommissioning One of the Largest Fixed Steel Jacket Platforms in the North Sea
Authors: White C. , Goodman C.
Published: July 2010

This paper describes the waste management challenges, strategies put in place and lessons learned with managing waste from one of the largest steel jacket and platform decommissioning projects in the North Sea against a commitment to reuse and recycle 97% of the removed structure.

The North West Hutton (NWH) platform was installed in 1983 and comprised an 18,000 tonne steel jacket support structure and 20,000 tonnes of topsides modules. In waste management terms this converted the platform to metals, glass reinforced plastic, hydrocarbon sludge, oils, production chemicals, drilling chemicals, asbestos, PCBs and radioactive materials etc.

Part of the waste management challenge was to identify and quantify materials present and then to have a clear strategy in place for the removal of hazardous waste offshore with decisions made as to how ‘clean’ should clean be and what waste materials should be left in situ and handled during onshore dismantlement. A further challenge was then to quantify waste per separated section for removal and consignment onshore as required under UK regulations and for onshore management planning.

The project was one of the first of its kind in the UK sector and as such the information provided in this paper will be of interest and use to any other Operator planning any decommissioning activities.

In terms of conclusions the Operator is well on its way to achieving the 97% reuse and recycling of NWH. As well as this there was much learned, which included: The benefits of good early upfront planning;Good document management right through an installation's life time;A clear waste management plan and strategy, developed together with the Decommissioning Contractor and Onshore Dismantlement and Disposal Contractor;Early and ongoing consultation with regulators;Some methodologies used to estimate worst-case hazardous waste quantities can grossly over estimate actual quantities present.

As one of the first of its kind in the UK the NWH project provides information and lessons learned on the quantification and management of hazardous waste offshore, removal and consignment of topsides sections with residual hazardous waste as well as legislative interpretation and compliance.
Physical Security in an Oilfield Services Company Management System in Latin America
Authors: Lopez Juan-Carlos , Fox Chris , Alaguna N. , Marulanda J. J.
Published: July 2010

Security has become an increasingly important concern across the oil and gas industry. Operations in several countries in Latin America are affected by common criminality associated with organized and unorganized groups. On top of this, terrorism poses a high potential risk for oilfields situated in areas, such as Colombia, that are within the influence of guerrilla organizations.

This paper shares practical experience of how an oilfield services company fully integrated security into its management system in Colombia, which the company considers to be a high risk country from a security perspective.

The paper describes how management commitment and leadership concepts were applied to day-to-day operational decisions in extremely challenging personal security environments, while at the same time supporting interaction with customers, authorities, and just as importantly with employees and contractors.

The paper also shares practical tools that are being used to assess the risk level of a particular location, region, or country, based on statistics associated with three criteria: armed conflicts, common criminality and travel risk. Assessment of the criteria makes the management team's decisions on security issues more quantifiable and less based on intuition.

In addition, the paper demonstrates how security can be effectively managed as another business factor, aligned with the Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) strategy and fully integrated into the corporate management system.
Fitness for Work Programs: Keys for Success, Rooms for Improvement
Authors: Guibert Philippe , Lo Olivier
Published: July 2010

For the last decades, Fitness For Work (FFW) programs have gradually become a standard practice in the oil & gas industry. The main objective of these programs is to ensure that employees (with known – unknown) health conditions are appropriately assigned to a safe work environment. These programs are also considered as a benefit to employees and fulfill company's social agenda protecting their precious human asset.

A performance review of such FFW programs suggest key effective outcomes to consider:

Suggestion of positive impact on the (lower) numbers of medical evacuations and fatalities. Effective management of FFW programs contributes to avoid high risk individuals with likely health complication to be deployed to areas where medical infrastructure is inadequate to manage their conditions. FFW programs also provide management with tangible data on the overall fitness – health status of the workforce. Programs such as smoking cessation, vaccination coverage, weight control, can be managed on the long run using information coming from FFW programs. Long term Return on Investment (ROI) may be considered when assessing the direct and indirect costs of medical care versus avoided evacuation – repatriation linked to diseases and related injuries

What are the main features of successful FFW programs?

■ A strong leadership commitment, which empowers the program stakeholders (Medical Direction, Human resources, HSE managers). ■ A duty for all employees to attend these programs. ■ A simple and robust check-ups process allowing every employee to benefit from the same medical standard across multiple geographical locations, on a regular basis, within an optimized network of medical providers. ■ A transparent communication with strict respect of medical confidentiality.

Key improvements could strengthen the efficiency of these programs:

■ Industry specific health standard would improve the value added of medical providers participating in FFW programs. ■ A worldwide network of providers could be accredited ‘O&G’ to ensure quality and consistency of medicals

As a conclusion, the factors identified to explain the success of theses FFW programs would benefit many organizations implementing or improving such programs in the Oil & Gas industry.
Environmental Risk Management of E&P Operations in the Barents Sea: Environmental Indicators and Thresholds Levels
Authors: Buffagni M. , Pinturier L. , Bracco L. , Moltu U. E. , Cova C. A. , Jonsson H. , Sanni S.
Published: July 2010

Marine polar ecosystems are often claimed being sensitive and having low tolerance toward external stress. In the Norwegian sector of the Barents Sea, this assumption has caused the implementation of a zero physical discharge policy. This policy is preventing an empirical definition of tolerance limits in relation to petroleum activities and the application of tailored and effective mitigation measures.

Eni E&P, its subsidiary Eni Norge, TOTAL E&P and its subsidiary TOTAL E&P NORGE, have launched the BIOSEA JIP in cooperation with IRIS-Biomiljø. The aim of the project was to build a scientific platform for risk based environmental management of Arctic E&P offshore activities. The BIOSEA initiative, developed over a 6 years period, aimed at establishing a suitable set of tools for environmental monitoring in offshore areas, and at adding knowledge on the sensitivity of Arctic species to dispersed crude oil and produced water. The project finished in December 2009 and the main achievements are presented in this paper.

Controlled laboratory exposure experiments and on site field surveys clearly demonstrated the relevance of typical oil exposure parameters (biomarkers) as valuable tools for oil exposure monitoring in different Arctic species. The monitoring toolbox was refined based on sensitivity and response patterns of individual biomarkers. Biomarker field reference levels were also established for the same species, as some biomarkers may be influenced by environmental and seasonal conditions. Based on data obtained from laboratory exposure experiments and field baseline monitoring, biomarker threshold levels were estimated. By establishing such biomarker threshold levels, BIOSEA has significantly contributed to the definition of assessment criteria to be used for monitoring of the environmental quality in the marine environment, as required by the Integrated Management Plan for the Barents Sea and Lofoten areas.
Lessons Learned by an Oilfield Services Company in the Development of a Chemical Management System Toward Compliance with REACH
Authors: Kirchof C. , Romijn H. , Danican S.
Published: July 2010

On 1 June 2007, a new era of chemical regulations began. The European Union (EU) consolidated approximately 40 pieces of existing chemical legislation and transformed them into one comprehensive chemical regulation called REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation, and Restriction of Chemicals). This new approach to chemical management puts a greater burden on importers and manufacturers. It also changes how the oilfield and gas service industry conducts business in not only the EU but also in the global chemical products marketplace.

For the oilfield and gas service industry, REACH poses significant challenges requiring the reexamination of current practices in the import and manufacturing of oilfield service products. The regulatory requirements go far beyond the function of the HSE manager. Continuous interaction between the business functions of supply chain, logistics, HSE, IT, trade control, product development, sales and marketing, legal, and field operations is imperative to comply with this complicated, vastly encompassing piece of legislation.

Lessons learned during the pre-registration phase in 2008 offered a clearer perspective on future registration requirements under REACH and have necessitated the reevaluation of chemical formulations in oilfield service products. This effort also requires the development and implementation of an ongoing chemical management system that continuously tracks the import and manufacturing of chemical substances found in numerous oilfield service products. Additional variables further complicate this tracking of substances are legal entities, management of chemical suppliers, communication between internal databases, and protection of confidential business information.

This paper shares the process currently being developed and implemented by an oilfield services company towards compliance with REACH.
Improving HSE Performance by Humanizing the Management System
Authors: López Juan Carlos , Fox Chris , Bordage Pierre , Villarreal Gonzalo , Moya Erick Jose , Mejia A. , Revelo J , Palacios L. , Arce L. , Ayala A. , Moreno F.
Published: July 2010

The oil and gas industry has reached a plateau in many of its health, safety, and environment (HSE) indicators. Statistics show that over the last five years the industry has not experienced a significant reduction in either the number or severity of accidents, despite the investment of considerable effort and money. Influencing employee behavior has been identified as the key factor for resuming performance improvement, with several organizations adopting systems to tackle the challenge using behavior-based safety programs. In the opinion of the authors, most of these programs have had limited effectiveness due their being implemented in isolation, rather than integrated into an overall management system.

This paper shows how a corporate program in an oilfield services company has been fully integrated into the organization's HSE culture with an innovative approach: humanizing the management system. The paper describes the vision and strategy to bring implementation of the management system to a more mature level by measuring changes in managers' leadership styles and by using a bottom-up approach that allows employees to participate in the system and, at the same time, feel accountable for the actions they take. This approach requires putting tactical programs in place to make managers believe in the change and make employees believe in the system. The paper shows examples of these programs, such as a commitment and leadership key performance indicator (KPI) for managers; a weekly positive message to create an "it's possible" way of thinking across the organization; and a program to build a bridge between the families of employees and the system.

The paper also describes the key principles that make the approach of humanizing the management system effective, and shows how it is improving HSE performance in the operations of the oilfield services company in Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador.
Prioritising and Partnering to Tackle HIV/AIDS
Authors: Donnelly Robin P , Arvanitidis Nina
Published: July 2010

Objective

To maximise the impact of a private sector HIV/AIDS programme, a multinational corporation needs to prioritise what it chooses to do and with whom to partner. This paper describes the evolution, over a seven-year period, of such a system into a risk-based approach.

Background

Despite the progress made on HIV/AIDS, the global pandemic is far from over and continues to present an enormous threat for humanity. Multinational companies are faced with the complex challenge of educating and protecting their workforces and participating, where appropriate, in global and regional programmes run by governments, non-governmental organisations and the private sector. The private sector needs to decide where to focus its efforts, not only geographically, but also on how it participates in a programme, to maximise the unique contribution, they can make.

Method

A multinational energy company initiated an HIV/AIDS programme in 2001 focusing initially on 5 Sub-Saharan countries with operational interests. Since then the programme has expanded to 70 countries globally with activity on all continents. An initial road map approach advocated a stepwise development of activity. No particular distinction was made between different countries in terms of the ultimate goals of the programme. A health check after 5 years suggested that the programme was effective. There were, however, opportunities to improve prioritisation, such that the greatest effort was placed on the greatest areas of risk and also that suitable partnerships could greatly add to the effectiveness of the programme. A revised strategy was developed which required a risk prioritisation of activity to direct the appropriate level of response.

Results

Two years after its introduction, the risk-prioritised approach has led to the diversion of activity and spend to the areas of highest risk. In addition, greater emphasis has been placed on partnering with suitable programmes to add to the sustainability of the programmes and ensure that the private sector contribution focuses on their area of unique contribution.

Conclusions

Prioritising the activity and partnering with the right organisations are both effective strategies to maximise the impact of a private sector programme for HIV/AIDS.
Regulatory Challenges of Drill Cuttings Waste Management in Indonesia
Authors: Permata E. , McBride S.
Published: July 2010

The oil & gas industry has taken substantive steps toward reducing its environmental footprint from drilling activities. The implementation of a drill cuttings waste management strategy in the Mahakam Delta, East Kalimantan, Indonesia includes the use of thermal desorption technology. Oily drill cuttings are collected and treated using thermal desorption unit resulting an efficient, recovery and reuse of base oil and reducing the oil on the treated cuttings from 20 wt% to an average of 0.3 wt%.

The solid treated cuttings have potential to be reused as a raw material for civil construction such as road base or backfill material. However, Indonesian hazardous waste regulation enlists drill muds and cuttings as a specific source of hazardous waste. Subsequent to treatment, the treated cuttings are still considered as hazardous even though laboratory analysis demonstrates that the chemical concentrations do not exceed those used to identify materials with hazardous characteristics.

The company generates approximately 65 000 tons of treated cuttings annually.

The hazardous waste regulations require that the oil & gas industry dispose of this material in an appropriate manner. Therefore the post treated, inert material, that is in compliance with drilling waste management regulation, is disposed in a non-sensitive offshore location.

The company is searching for ways to convince the authorities of the benefit of reusing treated cuttings for alternative uses including road base and backfill material.