HSE from Plans to Reality
Authors: Al Hinai Y. , Al Ghafri A. 
Published: September 2024

Owing to the significant challenges encountered by Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) in the realms of personal safety, there was a pressing need to underscore the significance of personal safety within PDO's business, as it had inadvertently taken a backseat in 2022. This paper provides details on Boots on Ground (BoG) which is an innovative leadership framework to improve the effectiveness of workforce engagement that was swiftly executed in 2023.

A thorough root cause analysis of historical incidents, up to and including 2022, was done and benchmarked against regional/global databases for problem identification. As a main outcome, it was evident that site supervision, proactive intervention and HSE fundamentals need to be strengthened to foster cohesive collaboration among site teams. An integrated framework, referred to as BoG, was designed to enhance leadership engagement and commitment which will be discussed in detail in this paper that contains the governance structure, roles and responsibilities, main deliverables, and general guidelines on the approach. In addition, PDO Lean methodologies were utilized by preparing strategic A3s. Moreover, contractors CEOs’ plans were collaboratively adjusted to adapt BoG elements.

The introduction of BoG yielded a positive safety culture within PDO. Different feedback surveys revealed that employees felt more empowered to raise concerns and suggest improvements, contributing to a collective commitment to HSE.

By Q4 2023, PDO witnessed a significant improvement in HSE incident trends. Statistics showed around 50% reduction in Lost Time Injuries and 30% in High Potential Incidents (HIPOs). Furthermore, the potential of the incidents occurred showed a noticeable severity reduction. Also, a noticeable improvement was observed in some of the leading KPIs such as audit findings, actions closeout, learning from incidents, and effectiveness of toolbox talks.

Dedicated teams were established to theme BoG results into focus areas. PDO addressed three themes that emerged from the BoG analysis: HSE competency, Permit to Work, and Worksite Hazard Management.

After 12 months of implementation and replication, BoG has reached a reasonable maturity level given that it tackles HSE culture aspects. Through comprehensive engagement sessions, workshops, and awareness campaigns accompanying the program, PDO equipped its workforce with the necessary knowledge and tools to uphold high safety standards. PDO remains unwavering to maintain a safe and secure working site, prioritizing the well-being of its personnel.

While the concept of strong safety leadership is not new, it was never made clear on what does it mean for different layers within the organization. To differentiate BoG from the other HSE initiatives, a clear guideline ‘reference book’ was established to define expectations from all layers starting from shareholders all the way to frontliners. This included the reporting line and deliverables that are expected. Additionally, the activation of PDO senior leaders alongside Contractors’ CEOs collaboration was enforced to increase leadership visibility at site through monthly joint visits to different contractors covering all PDO locations.