bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
North West Hutton Decommissioning - a Major Challenge.…a Major Success
Authors: White Caroline , Adams Ged
Published: September 2012

SPE – Proposal for Paper

‘North West Hutton Decommissioning - a Major Challenge.…a Major success’

Description and Scope

This paper describes the HSE challenges surrounding the decommissioning and removal of the first UK Major Offshore Installation in the UK sector of the North Sea, the North West Hutton (NWH) installation. The paper will explain how excellent HSE performance was maintained throughout a complicated and many faceted project, including dealing with; the harsh North Sea environment, the interfacing of an array of contractor disciplines and a multi-national workforce. The many lessons learned during the project are outlined.

The NWH Installation comprised an 18,000 tonne steel jacket support structure and 20,000 tonnes of topsides module. In removal terms this involved the reverse installation of 21 modules, followed by subsea cutting and removal of 58 sections of steel jacket, sitting in 140m water in the northern North Sea.

If the NWH decommissioning project was going to protect the offshore workforce and the environment there had to be a clear hazard management strategy and implementation programme. It was essential that hazard management was integrated right from selection of the right removal engineering solution through to final disposal. The work was executed safely through building an excellent relationship with all contractors and provision of absolute clarity on expectations, standards and processes and their communication and application.

Application

The information in this paper will be of interest and use to for the planning of any offshore decommissioning activities.

Results and Conclusions

The total offshore removal programme was executed with approximately 900,000 man hours. There were no days away from work cases or high potential safety incidents. A number of lessons were learned, including: Benefits of good early upfront planning with an integrated contractor workforceGood communications of expectations, taking into consideration a multi-national workforceClarity on hazard management processesDevelopment and implementation of a Human Factors strategyGood assurance of compliance

The NWH experience has shown that major decommissioning projects, including a multitude of hazardous activities can be undertaken safely and without damage to the environment.

Significance of Subject Matter

This project was a pivotal North Sea milestone and a UK first for size of installation, complexity and removal environment. As such there have been valuable learnings in managing safe and successful offshore decommissioning.
Causes and Contributing Factors to Hydrocarbon Leaks on Norwegian Offshore Installations
Authors: Røed W , Vinnem JE , Nistov A
Published: September 2012

The containment barrier is crucial to prevent major accidents on oil and gas installations. The annual number of hydrocarbon leaks is used as an accident precursor indicator for this barrier in the Norwegian oil and gas industry. However, to be able to implement adequately risk reducing measures, monitoring the above precursors is not sufficient: We also have to understand why hydrocarbon leaks occur. This paper presents a study considering causes and contributing factors to hydrocarbon leaks exceeding 0.1 kg/s on all the offshore installations on the Norwegian continental shelf during the period 2008 to 2011. The study is performed by the Norwegian Oil Industry Association on behalf of the operators on the Norwegian continental shelf. It concludes that a substantial part of the hydrocarbon leaks are related to human intervention on process equipment. This is in line with a previous study considering a comparable group of offshore installations during an earlier period of time. We conclude that although the number of hydrocarbon leaks has been reduced significantly during the last decade, the distribution between categories of causes and contributing factors has to large extent remained. Based on this, attention should still be paid on activities and work processes able to support the personnel planning and performing intervention activities, to reduce the probability of human error.
Stepping Out of the Triangle and into the Field
Authors: Teakle Jae , Biddle Rick , Lughermo Tanya , Mannion Tom
Published: September 2012

Heinrich's Theory of Accident Prevention suggested that a direct ratio exists between the number of unsafe acts and conditions, to minor and major injuries. This fundamental principle has been the building block for shaping safety practices over the past 80 years.

While it is evident this model has been highly successful in dealing with low-consequence incidents, current global statistics show this is not the case for high-consequence, low-likelihood incidents. As total recordable incidents and days away from work rates continue to decline industry wide, we have not produced the same improvements in fatal accident rates. As such, Chevron's Upstream and Gas organization has analyzed its incident data to develop an intervention plan to target fatality prevention. The scope of analysis included incident data from 17 strategic business units (SBUs), worldwide, over a two-year period, which identified 8,293 events. The Australasian Strategic Business Unit simultaneously undertook an in-depth analysis of 1095 incidents to determine the precursors to fatalities and develop tools and interventions to address high consequence, low frequency events (fatalities).

Initial analysis demonstrates that cornerstone theories and the Health, Environment and Safety (HES) principles and practices built on the Accident Triangle's fundamental assumptions are not enough to prevent fatalities. Heinrich's model fails to recognize that the patterns of high-consequence, low-frequency mechanisms of injury do not follow the same pattern as low-consequence, high-frequency mechanisms of injury.

This paper will provide a practical example of how the Australasian SBU has applied learning's to identify an innovative approach that focuses on mitigating the risks associated with high consequence, low probability mechanism of injury. The example presented is the Managing Safe Work (MSW) tool for fatality prevention. The Field Engagement Tool facilitates discussions between leaders and the workforce to identify high-potential mechanisms of injury and to ensure that the critical controls are adequate for the level of risk. It promotes verification and discussion around the sub causal factors that have been identified for high potential events.

We will share findings from the fatality prevention study (learnings), discuss the Australasian Strategic Business Unit's in-depth dive into data and the development of tools and interventions associated with the study's learnings.
Lessons Learned from the Global Implementation and Evolution of a System to Track Environmental Performance Indicators
Authors: Kuykendall Dina
Published: September 2012

Measuring environmental performance is a critical step in reducing the environmental footprint of a company's operations. By tracking and analyzing key environmental metrics, we can begin to understand how our particular activities impact the environment, enhancing our ability to set appropriate improvement goals and develop specific action plans to achieve those goals. This paper describes the design, implementation and evolution of the company's tracking system for environmental performance indicators.

A pilot project was first conducted to evaluate the burden of additional reporting and the feasibility of tracking this data in various regions around the world. An extensive evaluation process then commenced to select the best "fit for purpose" web-based software system.

A global team developed a phased implementation plan and provided input for various communication and user tools. These included a training manual, a Quick Start Guide and list of frequently asked questions, supplemented by multiple webinar training sessions, and a dedicated support person to provide assistance to users. Webpages were developed for the tracking system "user tools" and a second "toolkit" dedicated to resources, awareness materials and success stories to promote conservation and improvement projects.

Once the tracking system was implemented, emphasis was placed on developing specific reports to compile and analyze data for facilities, regions and business units. Data is normalized to account for changes in activity using a variety of factors. A dashboard is now under development to promote an instant view of key environmental metrics and support the company's environmental goals to reduce energy, water and greenhouse gas emissions. Efficiencies have also been realized by importing data from other systems, and using data for internal and external sustainability reporting. These and other lessons learned are presented, along with best practices.
Health and Safety Risk Management - A cornerstone of Response Readiness
Authors: Lee Nai Ming
Published: September 2012

The readiness of a response organisation to act when mobilised constitutes a key measure of performance. Central to the notion of ‘Response Readiness’, are competent personnel who have been equipped and trained for the job.

In the context of an of an oil spill response, it is recognised that responders are often required to work in diverse and challenging environments; these difficulties may be compounded by uncertainties in local support. Thus, the effective management of health and safety risks is critical, not only to ensure the safety and well being of personnel, but also to ensure that a response can be successfully carried out.

To address this, Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL) adopted a comprehensive approach that not only addresses conventional health and safety risks, but also unconventional threats posed by global terrorism and regional unrest, as well as devastation resulting from natural disasters.

This approach is underpinned by pre-employment medical examination for new recruits, coupled with scheduled health assessments during employment, inoculation against a range of diseases, and provision of both broad-based and specialised HSE training to manage conventional health and safety risks.

Unconventional risks are managed through the implementation of a travel security protocol that hinges on the subscription to specialist advice, access to information, risk assessment, and interfacing our operations with the clients’.

Contingency planning is also an integral part of the risk management framework; this is supported by a Crisis Management Plan and access to international assistance for aid provision or personnel evacuation should the need arise.

This paper will present the approach taken by OSRL to manage health and safety risks, as a showcase of how such risk management forms a cornerstone of ‘Response Readiness’ to ensure service delivery as an international tier 3 oil spill response organisation. The paper will also examine the significance of management accountability and visibility as integral components of this framework.
A Tool For Optimizing The Energy Efficiency Over The Field Life
Authors: Labeyrie Hadrien , Galtié Bernard , Dekeyzer Eric
Published: September 2012

Due to a strong economic and demographic growth around the world, global energy needs are going to increase by about 35% from now until 2030 and energy must be saved. In addition to this, GHG emissions must be reduced in order to limit the consequences of global warming. In this context, TOTAL is working on minimizing flaring and on improving the energy efficiency of its existing and future facilities.

The in-house tool presented in this paper, EAT (Energy Architecture Tool), is primarily designed for future E&P facilities: it aids in the selection of an energy-efficient and low GHG-intensive architecture, during conceptual and pre-project studies. The tool allows doing the case-by-case approach instead of a "dogma" saying that a specific architecture is equally efficient in every case. It has been validated on four new projects.

Contrarily to studies based on design cases, i.e. extreme cases, this tool simulates the behavior of the energy generation unit (mostly gas turbines) and the energy users (compressors, pumps, furnaces), for the various flows, pressure and heat requirements over the field life. These requirements are less constraining than the design case, but they last much longer, and thus they are to be considered for the energy efficiency purpose.

EAT is a two-steps tool. The first step is to set a reference of energy consumption / GHG emissions. The reference is not a target but it is an ideally optimized case taking into account the process constraints (e.g. the amount of gas to be compressed, its molecular weight, the required suction/discharge pressures per year, site conditions…). The second step is the screening of several architectures to get as close as possible to this reference over the field life. The various alternatives simulated are: number of compression / pumping trains installed, load shedding strategy, use of constant or variable speed drive, all-electric configuration (turbogenerators and electrical drivers only) versus distributed power generation (e.g. turbocompressors), turbine model or other drives, electricity import or export etc.

Once the optimal architectures are identified, the Process, Operations, Technological and Architecture teams check the operability, availability, technical feasibility and economic profitability aspects.

The tool can also be used for existing fields, for building GHG mitigation plans, for setting challenging yet achievable objectives to Operations teams and for developing more accurate forecasts.
Improving safety performance in geophysical operations: one major operator's journey
Authors: Threadgold Ian M. , Seaborne T. Richard , Cave Neil , Harrison David J.
Published: September 2012

This paper describes a 13 year journey by a major oil and gas operator in pursuit of consistent excellence in health, safety and environmental (HSE) performance across its worldwide geophysical operations. The paper covers the major process steps that have been implemented, the significant changes to staff roles, and how participation in industry activities helped in the process. Some of the catalysts for change are also discussed.
Environmental Monitoring in the Caspian: Integrated Approach and Results
Authors: Askerov Faig , Abbasova Afag , Gahramanova Mehriban
Published: September 2012

BP Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey (AGT) Region has developed an Integrated Environmental Monitoring Program (IEMP) for its upstream activities, which include the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (ACG) and Shah Deniz (SD) Contract Areas located in the Azerbaijan sector of the Caspian Sea, as well as near-shore and onshore areas located near Sangachal onshore terminal.

The IEMP maximizes the cost: benefit ratio by standardizing, coordinating, and sharing information thereby allowing for a more a synergistic interpretation of results, resulting in informed management decisions to correct environmental problems. The IEMP optimizes a balance between AGT Region operations and environmental protection. The IEMP is unique in that it is designed to evaluate the effects of operational outputs (emissions, discharges, and spills) against environmental changes to provide "early warning" of potential impacts on the environment. The IEMP seeks to identify patterns and problems before the compliance limits are exceeded and enable management actions to respond to environmental change in a rapid and informed manner. This allows enhanced environmental protection that is not possible when environmental monitoring is carried out with a non-integrated, system of individual monitoring projects. Key components that were developed to enable this integration were: 1. A standardized core of monitoring procedures, 2. A central database with monitoring data that is available for sharing within AGT Region and externally, 3. Coordination among the diverse aspects of ambient and operations monitoring around AGT Region operational areas.

Between 2004 – 2010 a total of 90 monitoring studies were completed including 41 offshore, 11 near-shore and 38 onshore surveys. The IEMP is implemented with support of local and international experts based on the long-term Strategy and annual monitoring programs approved by an external panel including representatives from the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources (the regulator), State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic, and the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences.
Fitness to Work: A Risk-Based Approach for the Oil and Gas Industry
Authors: Mohamed Halim , Donnelly Robin , Fraser Alistair
Published: September 2012

There are many tasks in the oil and gas industry in which the individual's health may pose a risk on the individual's and others’ safety. In addition, some tasks may negatively impact the health of individuals with pre-existing health conditions. Fitness to Work (FTW) assures that individuals are able to complete tasks safely without unacceptable risk to themselves, their employing company or a third party. This is done through the objective assessment of health of employees in relation to their specific jobs. There is currently no standardized approach for FTW in the oil and gas industry, resulting in a wide variety of practices among operators. The proposed risk-based FTW design process includes 5 key steps: Health risk assessment, Control options, Legal assessment, Implementation, and Review. Each step is discussed with best practice examples, lessons from real-world implementation, and common pitfalls. Outcomes and consequences of FTW assessments are also discussed. Based on 6 years of global implementation, this approach represents an effective model of systematic identification, assessment and management of the risks associated with tasks that place specific physical or psychological demands on employees.
Environmental Performance in the E&P Industry: Data for 2009 and 2010
Authors: Campbell J. , Poore W. M.
Published: September 2012

The International Association of Oil and Gas Producers (OGP) has collected environmental performance information from its member companies on an annual basis since 2001. This programme has continued and new sets of data for activities in 2009 and 2010 have been produced.

The performance information has been collected under the following five categories: Gaseous emissions;Energy consumption;Flaring;Aqueous discharges;Discharges of non-aqueous drilling fluids on cuttings; andSpills of oil and chemicals.

The ultimate aim is to provide a representative statement on environmental performance in the upstream oil & gas industry. Subsidiary objectives are to provide a basis for individual member companies to compare their environmental performance and to demonstrate the industry's wish for greater transparency concerning its activities. This will help them to identify better and more efficient ways of operating.

Performance results are presented on a global and regional basis, onshore and offshore, and normalised to hydrocarbon production. Results are shown, for ease of comparison, alongside the previous years’ published results. The paper will address emerging trends in environmental performance as well as factors that underpin the data.

36 OGP member companies took part in the survey representing about a third of known world production. Contributing companies provided data from 68 countries worldwide; however geographical coverage of the reported data remains uneven, ranging from around 100% in Europe, to 22% of known production in the Middle East and 9% in the Former Soviet Union.
Water management in a desert environment
Authors: Baldelli Gaelle
Published: September 2012

BP is a co-venturer in the In Salah Gas (ISG) Joint Venture which is planning to develop (4) gas fields known as Gour Mahmoud (GMD), In Salah (IS), Hassi Moumene (HMN), and Garet El Befinat (GBF) in the Saharian part of Algeria. The ISG project is located on the Tidikelt Plain within the Ahaggar, a International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) category II National Park and in the vicinity of the inhabited In Salah oases (around 35,000 inhabitants). The Project includes the drilling of a number of gas wells, the construction, commissioning and operation of approximately 300 km of pipelines and gathering systems and of a central processing facility (CPF).

The ISG's venture project is located on the western basin of the Northern Sahara Aquifer System (Système Aquifère du Sahara Septentrional – SASS) which covers a surface area of one million square kilometres shared between Algeria, Tunisia and Libya. It is composed of two superimposed aquifer systems, the "Complexe Terminal" and the "Continental Intercalaire" (CI), the latter being the only one present in the Project area.

The CI contains considerable water reserves but is considered as a fossil aquifer, only partly renewable. The main recharge period took place during the wet and cold periods of the Lower Pleistocene (20,000 to 40,000 years ago). Since then groundwater has discharged in natural depressions (sebkahs and chotts) or springs located along the border of the Sahara. Until the 19th century these natural outlets were mainly used for agriculture and for supplying drinking water to the limited population of the oases.
Integrated Noise Protection Program - From Noise Measurements to Epidemiology
Authors: Batalha Tania , Sadeleer Nico De , Plisson-Saune Stephan
Published: September 2012

A specific hearing conservation program was developed by Total E & P Angola (TEPA) due to the particular conditions of the country: 1)During 30 years of war people were exposed to high levels of noise and all this time no medical assessment was done. 2) Angolans have the habit to play music very loud. 3) Working offshore exposes them to noisy equipments. Considering the above cited stressors, TEPA developed a robust program of Noise protection.

An international recognized Company made a noise mapping study on the FPSO's where the noisiest places were distinguished from the less noisy. This information got regularly updated during frequent offshore assessments by the Industrial Hygiene team and also by on site personnel who received specific training to make direct measurements. In addition the workforce on board was distributed over similar exposure groups (SEG) and the workers of SEG's with elevated exposure to noise received an individual noise dosimeter, which they carried around during their shifts. The collected data was then downloaded in specific software. Based on the acquired noise maps, noise awareness campaigns were delivered to all personnel working on the respective offshore site, including subcontractors.

The objective of such campaigns was to ensure workers are aware of the potential consequences of excessive noise exposure and train them to protect themselves and colleagues.

An epidemiologic study taking into account Angolans specific habits was developed with the objective of measuring possible prevalence of hearing problems arising from earlier occupational exposure. A population of non-exposed people (office staff) was compared with offshore workers. The results did not show any significant difference in hearing capabilities.

Out of these actions, others became mandatory: ensuring provision of hearing protection devices to all personnel where noise level exceeds 85db(A) and performing audits; performing regular monitoring and noise dosimeter studies, requesting annual audiometric testing for the exposed SEG’s, ensuring all personnel on board attend noise awareness campaigns and hearing protection training; installing complementary safety signs (where required) in all areas above 85db(A), as per maps and floor paintings; installing complementary safety signs for areas requiring double protection (earplugs and earmuffs) and performing a epidemiologic study involving people that might be exposed to noise in the past.
Accelerating HSE Culture through HSE Leadership
Authors: Breitsprecher K. , Hinton J. J. , Harris W. L. , Crabb S. L. , Jacques P. , De Hoedt B.
Published: September 2012

In spite of many years of research and discussions on the importance of safety culture, this concept remains as pertinent today as any time before for the HSE performance of an organization.

This paper describes an innovative approach to accelerating HSE culture in an organization based on the concept that mangers, particularly senior managers, through their influence on employees, can strongly affect the HSE performance and HSE culture of an organization. For this influence to be beneficial to the organization, managers need to consistently demonstrate behaviors and characteristics of strong HSE leadership. When senior managers accept ownership of HSE, and set and consistently motivate towards clear HSE expectations, other managers, and then supervisors and ultimately employees will consistently follow.

An HSE leadership program for senior managers was developed, utilizing findings from previous psychological research on the role of managerial leadership in determining workplace safety outcomes and the application of the Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence model. The aim of the project was to increase HSE leadership by senior and middle managers and thereby to accelerate the development of a strong HSE culture.

A process of remote coaching was implemented following completion of the HSE leadership academy to support senior and middle managers with the application of HSE leadership behaviors in the workplace. Remote coaching was designed to increase the application of HSE leadership behaviors and to support the creation of habitual HSE leadership behaviors.

This paper discusses the HSE leadership academy and its psychological research basis, remote coaching, preliminary findings and critical aspects for success.

Given the inherent HSE risk of our industry, it is proposed that HSE leadership training based on psychological research and the use of remote coaching can offer value to our industry as a means to meet the evolving challenges of protecting people, assets and the environment.
Managing Biodivsity as Part of the PNG LNG Project
Authors: Whisker Steven J. , Tyler David C.
Published: September 2012

The Papua New Guinea LNG (PNG LNG) Project is under development by Esso Highlands Limited (EHL), a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil Corporation, in an area of high biodiversity significance and conservation value. This paper provides an overview of EHL's Biodiversity Strategy, describes how it has been implemented to date and presents EHL's guiding principles and forward plans for the Biodiversity Offset Program.

EHL has prepared and is implementing a Biodiversity Strategy which outlines how terrestrial biodiversity has been and will continue to be managed as part of the Project. The Biodiversity Strategy is consistent with ExxonMobil's broader focus on achieving excellence when operating in sensitive environments.

The Biodiversity Strategy is designed to meet International Finance Corporation (IFC) Performance Standard 6: Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Natural Resource Management (2006). This is consistent with the financing of the Project by a number of Export Credit Agencies and commercial banks which subscribe to the Equator Principles and apply IFC Performance Standards.

The Biodiversity Strategy is based on a process of identifying biodiversity values in the Project area, identifying potential risks and impacts to these values which may arise as part of the Project and avoiding and mitigating the identified risks during design, construction and production. Impacts which cannot be avoided or mitigated (residual impacts) are to be offset. The Biodiversity Strategy also outlines EHL's long term biodiversity monitoring program.

EHL is currently developing a Biodiversity Offset Delivery Plan, with assistance from Conservation International, and the plan will set out details of the offset program. Offsets are to be tied to residual impacts, which, as identified in the Project Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) are likely to be direct impacts (overall habitat loss and impacts to fauna) and indirect impacts (potential introduction and spread of alien invasive species, and enhanced access).

Consultation with stakeholders and interested parties is a key component in the development of the Biodiversity Strategy and the Biodiversity Offset Delivery Plan. It is EHL's intent that international and local NGO will be involved in the delivery of biodiversity offset projects.
Expanding Contracting Safety: How and why to extend your safety management to onsite contractors
Authors: Stanfield Imogen , Murfitt Fiona
Published: September 2012

Abstract

Our organisation has implemented a successful six step approach to managing contractors that focuses on selecting, engaging, communication, reviewing, training and managing contractors.

Application

What processes need to be put in place to effectively look after this vital section of your workforce? We have found that the best method is to engage and clearly communicate the required objectives and standards of performance. The performance of contractors should be scrutinised not only from a financial and productivity standpoint, but also from a safety perspective. Throughout the project, set the bar high and hold everyone to the same set of standards, from the CEO down to operational and contract workers.

Our method has been proven effective many times for our own engagements with contractors and for our clients. However any approach to contractor safety management is not a stand-alone formula for success. It is important for all approaches to be integrated into the systems, structures and procedures that exist within the operations of every business.

Results, Observations, Conclusions

The Energy Delivery Company of Illinois' Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) worked withour experts and in just two years experienced a 70% reduction in contractor injury frequency rate. The Australian construction giant, Grocon this year was awarded ‘OHS Management System of the Year' by WorkSafe Victoria, in recognition of its unique approach in including subcontractors as part of its overall safety management system. Partnering with us, Grocon achieved a reduction of 75% in its total injury frequency rate from 2008 to 2011, whilst one of its subcontracting companies achieved a 73% reduction in just 12 months.

Significance of Subject Matter

Of the 3,433 million work hours completed in the international oil and gas industry in 2010, 79% were attributable to contractors whilst just 21% were attributed to permanent employees. It is therefore clear, that the management of contractor safety is a large task that cannot be underestimated. Harmonisation laws will see a more specific definition of employee that includes any contractor working onsite and therefore plant and operations owners need to be aware of their safety.
Winning Beginnings: Embedding Process Safety Management in Capital Projects
Authors: Wilson Andrew
Published: September 2012

Abstract

Description

Embedding Process Safety Management (PSM) in a capital project system is critical in helping to achieve a safe start up and is the foundation for assuring safe operations throughout the life of the process.

Application

Today's PSM system, practiced by most companies, is Deming-based and specifically a plan"do-check-act system that strives for continuous improvements. The capital project process is very different, with specific starting and ending points that are driven by cost and time. The result is that all required tasks for each PSM element are also time-driven, with the objective of having a full PSM program in place at the time of start-up. Additionally, capital projects must achieve designs that meet the balance of competing demands. This paper explores some of these issues that are critical to achieving on-time start-up, design operating rates, and safe operation with optimum investment and life cycle cost.

The session delivers:

A description of how our organisation implements PSM in capital projects, and how we manage operating risks in these projects, achieving a balance between process equipment design, instrumented control systems, and safety instrumented systems. A discussion of how to manage the critical integration of Employee Safety, Process Safety, Capital Effectiveness, and Asset Productivity.

Results, Observations, Conclusions

DuPont has a long history of designing and engineering our own plants, often with low or zero harm. The results have been not only a safer construction phase but also assets that at the time of commissioning and beyond have an inbuilt PSM system delivered with the understanding and involvement of the operational personnel.

Significance of Subject Matter

The Oil and Gas industry in Australia continues to develop and engage in capital works that are expected to meet the balance of competing demands. This session discusses issues that are critical to a winning capital project: on-time start-up, design operating rates, and safe operation with optimum investment and life cycle cost.
Why Don't People Just Follow the Rules? The Psychology of Safety Management
Authors: Stanfield Imogen , Gutierrez Rod
Published: September 2012

Abstract

Description

Behaviour based safety programs focus on changing individual actions through the influence of schedules of reinforcement; the psychological mechanism of change therefore is at a fairly basic stimulus-response level. While this type of intervention has been successful, it has a point of limitation, at which further behaviour based intervention fails to extend improvement.

This presentation explores and illustrates with specific applied examples, a selection of other psychological constructs that can be readily applied to safety management.

Application

Delegates will gain an understanding of:

How we can influence people by accessing attitudes and beliefs about safety at the thinking and feeling level not just at the level of actions; The role of individual risk perception and personal and situational awareness in promoting our understanding of why people make poor choices and more importantly safety errors; How the fundamental understanding that organisations are human structures highlights the importance of social influence, both within groups of employees and in the development of cultures as sets of shared beliefs at the macro level, provides fertile ground for safety application and intervention; The application of models of individual and group change, providing perhaps the greatest insight that psychology has to offer to the safety community.

Results, Observations, Conclusions

The presentation concludes with the discussion of a new intervention model developed by DuPont, which builds upon behavioural based programs and extends on our current thinking by carefully selecting and applying aspects of the psychological body. The program has been implemented in several client sites as well as our own operations and some initial observations of its success will be shared.

Significance of Subject Matter

The Oil and Gas industry has a strong safety performance record, compared to other industries. However, organisations have been reliant on Behavioural based safety interventions for some time now and are looking for the next approach to further their improvement. Business leaders and Front Line Managers interested in exploring a new approach to human behaviour and the standard paradigm of safety management in the workplace will find this session inspirational.
Frigg Cessation Project. Environmental Footprint and EIA Comparison
Authors: Nesse Steinar , Moltu Ulf Einar
Published: September 2012

The Frigg Field Cessation Project1, operated by TOTAL E&P NORGE AS, is the single largest offshore field decommissioning project during the recent years. This project comprised the execution of the removal of three steel substructures, five topside facilities and several sea-lines from the Frigg Field has formed a complex scope of work involving disposal / recycling of 73,000 tonnes of materials, lasting over five years and involving some 4,500 maritime vessel days.

An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was performed for the Frigg field installations as part of the decommissioning planning in accordance with the programme approved by Norwegian authorities. This was based upon current knowledge and assumptions. During execution of the project relevant environmental aspects have been quantified and/or recorded. Based on the recorded data and information a comparison is made between the Impact Assessment and the actual experienced environmental performance. Further, an evaluation of the overall impacts or "footprint" of the disposal work is made. Experiences gained from this can be valuable input to future decommissioning planning processes as well as clarify the actual environmental impacts related to a major offshore field being shut in and associated installations disposed of (decommissioned). In the 2010 SPE HSE conference in Rio a paper was presented on Key Performance Indicators for Energy consumption and CO2 emissions (SPE 126825) developed based on the Frigg Cessation Project. However, more experiences and on a wider spectrum can be shared. The current paper addresses the following issues: –Energy (consumption and balance)–Atmospheric emissions–Discharges to sea, water or ground–Waste management /material utilisation–Physical environmental impacts–Aesthetic impacts–Littering
Why is Achieving Zero Accidents so Difficult?
Authors: Hudson Patrick
Published: September 2012

Most models of how accidents are caused can be traced back to models such as Heinrich's Domino Theory and the Iceberg. What these models imply is that preventing one or more precursors of an incident is sufficient to prevent such incidents. The notion that there is a root cause of an incident is embedded in the idea that incident causation is linear and deterministic, that there are clear sequences of causes going back to a root cause. This thinking has been very successful and its application may be regarded as reducing the number of (potential) accidents by 80%. Most of these accidents are personal and the development and use of the Swiss Cheese model, aimed also at process incidents, has led to a reduction of possibly 80% of the remaining incidents, covering some 96% in total. Such models are still deterministic, but non-linear in their attribution of causation. The remaining 4% of possible incidents, especially complex and major process accidents, unfortunately appears to be much more intractable. The proposal is that these incidents have a causal structure that is both non-linear and non-deterministic, being inherently probabilistic. This has consequences for the management and prevention of such incidents, including the fact that simpler approaches leave them very hard to manage, despite considerable commitment. This paper explains the different models of how accidents are caused, why people may find the newer models difficult to understand, and the consequences for management that may enable us to actually achieve target zero.
The Use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in Oil Spill Preparedness and Response
Authors: Aukett Lucy
Published: September 2012

GIS provides a dynamic, user-friendly interface to explore a number of different attributes and physical information gathered from a spill; foremost, it provides the mechanism to speed up decision making and more accurately quantify offshore spill size and trajectory.

Utilising GIS can greatly improve the efficiency of oil spill contingency planning. Hazards and risks can be pre-determined and strategies developed to mitigate the impacts of potential oil spills. Geographic layers and parameters can be overlaid and interrogated to illustrate a range of information, for example sensitive areas, pre-defined Net Environmental and Economic Benefit Analysis (NEEBA) studies, habitat mapping, booming plans, logistic routes, response times, and waste sites. GIS can be used in an oil spill emergency to overlay trajectory modelling outputs with the data the system contains. This can be used for decision making, for example prioritising sensitivities for protection, deciding upon response strategies, determining loading/staging areas, identifying features, ports or harbours etc. Other applications during an oil spill incident include combining modelling, satellite imagery and aerial observations to quantify more accurately the volume spilled and size of the slick. GIS also provides a platform to present information clearly and concisely to stakeholders involved in the incident. In addition, GIS databases can store a variety of information from previous oil spill incidents and present it through one interactive interface that allows data to be accessed both quickly and efficiently. Such interactive databases enable the lessons to be learnt to be clearly communicated and facilitate improved hazard awareness within the industry.

The paper will expand of all these topics and use recent case studies to demonstrate the benefits of GIS in both preparedness activities and actual responses.
Five Reasons We Are Not Getting to Zero
Authors: Ritchie Norman W.
Published: September 2012

The Oil and Gas E&P industry has embarked upon the journey to a zero incident workplace. SPE has taken a leading role by organizing forums such as "Getting to Zero - An Incident-Free Workplace: How Do We Get There?" To date, the industry has not yet reached its desired destination. This paper will describe five common opportunities for improvement in organizations that seek to reach the zero incident goal.

A systematic examination of a large number of incident and accident investigation reports from a variety of E&P companies and contractors has been conducted, including both near miss and loss events. The analysis identified consistent areas where responses to an unplanned event are not effective in terms of likely reduction in future probability of the event reoccurring. This was found to be the case in a significant proportion of the event reports examined. The issues are common across all segments of the E&P industry examined. By understanding and addressing the identified barriers to success, the E&P industry will be better able to progress the journey to zero.
Applying Control Charts to Safety Data Detects Trends Earlier
Authors: Denkl Michael , Prevette Steve , Martinez Dante
Published: September 2012

Performance monitoring and improvement are key elements of any safety management system. Companies record and review many different health, safety, and environmental (HSE) indicators on a monthly basis with the aim to continuously improve HSE performance. As a result, company management may initiate safety stand-downs and various campaigns based on month-to-month variations seen in key performance indicators (KPIs).

Challenges involved with this include whether the changes seen in data represent an actual trend or whether they are just variations around a stable process. Other questions raised include whether the actions taken by management regarding an actual trend prove to be effective over time at countering a negative trend, and did an opportunity exist to identify the onset of a real trend earlier in time to enable a faster counteraction?

To answer these challenges and questions, the authors investigated how control charts applied to one company's safety data detected statistically significant trends in a deterministic way. The paper describes how the authors incorporated control chart logic into a reporting engine to enable automated detection of trends and presents the authors’ observations based on the results this method provided. The observations include how applying a control chart method reduced unnecessary or erratic safety initiatives due to otherwise incorrectly interpreted safety data.

The paper also describes how the method provided a better indication of whether a safety campaign was having a statistically significant impact on safety performance over time and how, if it was not adding value, the campaign was stopped. Additionally, the paper examines how this method has a partially predictive capability as it enables identification of the earliest data point in a time series that could be the start of a new statistically significant trend and how this enables a company to take action before a negative trend can establish itself.
Improving the Opportunity for Learning from Industry Safety Data
Authors: Walker Kirsty , Poore Wendy , Fraser Stewart
Published: September 2012

The International Association of Oil & Gas Producers (OGP) is a unique global forum in which members identify and share best practices to achieve improvements in every aspect of health, safety, the environment, security, social responsibility, engineering and operations.

OGP encompasses 75 of the world's leading publicly-traded, private and state-owned oil & gas companies, industry associations and major upstream service companies. OGP members produce more than half the world's oil and about one third of its gas.

The OGP member companies report their annual safety data, on a voluntary basis, the OGP use this information to produce an annual safety performance indicators report. The 2009 report showed that a plateau has been reached the industry fatal accident rates over the past five years. Therefore, the OGP Safety Data Sub-Committee sponsored a two-day Fatal Incident and High-Potential Event workshop to focus on learning from the causes of industry incidents. Individual companies use different investigation methodologies and this can be a barrier to industry-wide learning as the investigation outcomes are not directly comparable. One objective identified at the workshop was for OGP to develop a set of incident causal factors using common terminology and language to improve the opportunity for learning from incidents. The OGP causal factors were requested from reporting companies for fatal incidents and high-potential events, including process safety events for their 2010 data submission. There was a very positive response to this request, and causal factors were assigned to 51 of the 58 fatal incidents and 97 of the 98 high potential events.

The results show that the most common causal factors for fatal incidents are related to inadequate hazard identification, inadequate supervision, positioning of personnel "in the line of fire", inappropriate decision making, inadequate training and competence as well as procedural violation, whether intentional or unintentional.