Accident Data for the Upstream Oil & Gas Industry
Authors: Cloughley T.M.G. , Thomas I. 
Published: December 2007

The E&P Forum's data base of accident statistics is the most comprehensive in the oil and gas exploration and production industry and today covers a population of roughly 400,000 personnel. An annual report is prepared which includes both oil company and contractor returns and sets the year's results in the context of performance in previous years. Overall, improving trends may be demonstrated. The report's principal uses are for bench-marking within the E&P industry and in enhancing the industry's reputation in communications with regulators and interested external parties.

Introduction

Individual oil and gas companies have collected data on accidents for many years. The data were collected to monitor performance, for safety management purposes and, in some countries, to comply with government requirements. Each company developed its own reporting parameters, and there was little consistency of information between companies. Even within individual corporations, daughter companies sometimes collected data and reported safety performance in different ways.

It was recognised within corporations, and subsequently by the exploration and production industry as a whole, that effective management of safety depended, amongst other matters, on a consistent method of reporting safety performance. Only then could proper comparisons be made between companies within corporations and between an individual corporation and the whole of the industry. It would also be possible to measure the trends in performance and for the industry to demonstrate its safety performance to external parties.

The E&P Forum, the international association of exploration and production oil and gas companies, started collection of international safety data from its members in 1985. Initially, 22 companies submitted data, and the number has steadily grown over the last ten years to typically 35 companies reporting their own and their contractors' performance in roughly 60 countries across the world (Fig. 1). The data set is the most comprehensive in the exploration and production industry. Members' returns for 1994 cover 872 million manhours, equivalent to a workforce of 390,000, 54% of whom are contractor personnel. Further details are given in Appendix A.

The data system was developed to be compatible in so far as possible with the majority of systems already established within member companies. The nature of the data to be collected and the definition of terms were agreed in committees whose members represented a wide spectrum of companies. From time to time, the system is reviewed to identify enhancements.

Each year, the E&P Forum produces a report, principally for its members, but available also to non-members without restriction. The report records the results for the year in question and sets the performance in the context of the performance of previous years. Whilst protecting the identity of individual returns, there is sufficient detail provided to allow extensive "bench-marking" possibilities.

Having described the data which are collected, this paper reports the accident statistics for 1994 (the 1995 report is still in preparation) and sets these results in the context of performance over previous years. Deductions that can be made are described. There is also a brief discussion on applications for the data and on possible future developments. P. 161