bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Understanding and Influencing Risk Tolerance
Authors: Fennell D. 
Published: June 2014

Summary
Risk Tolerance or ‘acceptance’ has been a contributing factor in 1/3 to 1/2 of all incidents. The ExxonMobil Human Factors Centre of Excellence researched this topic and has identified the factors that influence individual and group decisions on how much risk is acceptable. The results of the research help identify the factors in the work place and in off the job situations and provides guidance on how to address the factors to reduce the acceptance of risk.
Tools for Increasing Well Operations Safety: Training and Certification
Authors: Moretti F. , Bogaerts M. , Mendiola A. , DeBruijn G. G. , Gonzalez A. , Belleggia E. 
Published: June 2014

Abstract
The oil and gas industry continues to move into harsher and more frontier environments, particularly in deepwater, where operational and engineering requirements are becoming more demanding. In consequence, the technologies and techniques deployed in this operating environment are also becoming more sophisticated and complex. Staffing is a key link between technology and the operating environment, and personnel must be trained and certified to work in such conditions. For these reasons, operators and service companies must further the continuous development of their personnel to ensure safe and efficient operations, particularly where there is pressure to avoid lost time and cost. A service company with a long-standing and rigorous training culture developed two additional bespoke certification programs, for technical engineers and for field personnel, dedicated to cement operations in deepwater conditions. These programs are composed of classroom training and on the job activities, ensuring that knowledge acquired during training is linked to the knowledge and skills developed in the field. After completing all certification requirements, the employee receives a Deepwater Certification valid for a limited time and requiring subsequent re-certification.
The implementation of the deepwater certification elevates the quality of the services personnel deliver in the client’s office and in the field. It has the objective of enlighting the employees’ knowledge and experience of deepwater operations and therefore minimizes the risks of operational failures in the challenging deepwater environments. Moreover, it has a positive impact on staff motivation based on the associated recognition and potential new career opportunities.
The cementing Deepwater Certification Program is proven to be an internal success and has been extended to other types of services provided.
A Chemical Risk Prioritization Scoring Process for the Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Industry
Authors: Koblis K. M. , Kierski M. W. , Staveley J. P. , Freeman E. L. 
Published: June 2014

Abstract
The oil and gas industry has been under increased scrutiny for its use of chemicals during exploration and production. The popular media have raised concerns about the chemicals used for hydraulic fracturing with respect to human health and the environment, and state and federal agencies have begun issuing decisions on chemical disclosure. A chemical risk prioritization scoring process has been developed to address these issues and to also demonstrate product stewardship.
Although chemical risk ranking is a recognized concept, there is no established process for its use in the oil and gas exploration and production (E&P) industry. Hundreds of products containing one or more chemical constituents are used in this industry. The Chemical Risk Prioritization System (CRPS) developed herein has been designed to identify the products with chemical constituents that pose the highest potential risks to people and the environment. The CRPS considers both chemical hazards and exposure potential in the determination of the relative risk of these products. A tiered approach is used that identifies a short list of products that may need further risk characterization and risk management. This approach ascertains the patterns of product/chemical use and exposure potential to both occupational and environmental receptors related to activities throughout the exploration and production life cycle. In addition, the potential for the chemicals in the products to persist in the environment or bioaccumulate in human or ecological receptors is factored into the CRPS.
A benefit of the CRPS is that it is a consistent and transparent approach tailored to company-specific activities. It streamlines the identification of products with chemical constituents where no additional evaluation is warranted because relative risk is minimal. This allows a more detailed evaluation to occur for a smaller set of products identified as containing chemicals with higher potential risk. It also informs the company of products with chemical constituents for which little hazard information is available, aiding industry in working with the chemical manufacturers to better characterize the potential hazard.
Nurturing the Culture of Reporting Incidents
Authors: Pachiyannakis Alexandros Karim 
Published: June 2014

Abstract
A high percentage of incidents go unreported or are covered up to avoid negative consequences from the client or management. Due to this a significant amount of learning and opportunity for continual improvement is lost. Reporting incidents without fear of consequences is vital to understand the true causes and therefore prevent incidents and failures. Obstacles, barriers, and external influencing factors prevent reporting of incidents at all levels within the organization. Incidents are reoccurring and we fail to learn!
A key barrier identified was that 25% of Managers’ bonuses are linked to Lost Time Injuries (LTI); and consequently there were negative reactions from line management to incidents being reported. Clients did not want to affect their performance and bonus. Supervisors and employees had poor understanding of incidents, and the organization had a poor reporting and investigation system.
Addressing the barriers involved the following: delinking the bonus from incidents, modifying the organization’s HSE performance indicators to only take into account the ones with proactive energy, establishing an Incident Review Meeting where all incidents with a high potential are presented by the Division General Manager to the CEO and other General Managers there by creating a sense of ownership. A 24 hours incident notification system was implemented with a distribution list to be sent from the grassroots level. By doing so, the company found that it was now aware of more than 60 incidents per year not previously reported, including about 10 LTIs per year.
Just because no negative information is being reported, does not mean it does not exist. This is not limited to incidents but all areas (Non - Conformances, Customer complaints, Equipment failure, etc.) for improvement within an organization. Reporting an incident is a fundamental element of HSE, but if not checked and ensured to be working, a lot of critical information can be lost and injuries will be prevalent.
Operational Level Grievance Mechanisms for Human Rights
Authors: Cleland Roper , Wild Elizabeth , Boladeras Shane 
Published: June 2014

Abstract
Operational level grievance mechanisms enable communities to raise issues with companies at the site level. They are an important part of a company’s approach to strategic stakeholder engagement, helping to reinforce constructive long term relationships and generating feedback that can help to drive continuous improvement.
Community grievance mechanisms are part of the ‘Access to Remedy’ expectations defined in the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). Remedy provides options for people who believe that a company has infringed their rights to seek redress. These options can be state-based judicial mechanisms, state based non-judicial mechanisms, and non-state based mechanisms. Operational level grievance mechanisms fall into the third category.
IPIECA, the oil and gas industry association for environmental and social issues, is leading a two-year collaborative learning project to test the implementation of operational level grievance mechanisms on the ground and then produce tools, templates and practical guidance. The project is based on a series of pilot projects implemented by member companies either establishing a new grievance mechanism or improving an existing one. The pilots are diverse; they span three continents, onshore and offshore, and conventional and unconventional projects.
Early learning from the pilots suggests that the vast majority of community grievances against companies can be solved amicably and promptly, particularly if they are addressed before they become acute. This finding underscores IPIECA members’ belief that grievance mechanisms should generally be part of a comprehensive stakeholder engagement process.
Industry experience also indicates that grievance mechanisms should be risk-based and responsive to local needs and circumstances rather than following detailed prescriptive or one-size-fits-all solutions. However, there are some basic principles and approaches that apply to all community grievance mechanisms.
This paper tells the story of IPIECA’s learning project on community grievance mechanisms. It presents IPIECA’s findings from the pilots to date and its work to create tools, templates and practical guidance to help businesses implement community grievance mechanisms that work for both the company and the community.
Assessing Freshwater Biodiversity Risk through Enhancement of Existing Tools
Authors: Weikel Marielle Canter , Harrison Ian , Sneary Martin , Connick Sarah , Monahan Margaret 
Published: June 2014

Abstract
With growing recognition of the importance of understanding potential impacts of development activities on freshwater biodiversity and ecosystems, approaches for systematically assessing site-level risks at a global level are needed. Chevron and Conservation International (CI) partnered beginning in 2012 to test the Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool (IBAT) – with enhancements to functionality – in evaluating site-level freshwater biodiversity risks. The enhanced functionality is a new and innovative way to extract data from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species ™ to look systematically at species’ threats at the watershed scale. Outputs from the enhanced functionality were evaluated for general utility as well as applicability as input information for the GEMI Local Water Tool™ (LWT).
Pilot applications of the enhanced IBAT were conducted at three Chevron locations around the world. The output was applied in the pilots, and refined with each subsequent pilot based on lessons learned. Key findings included: The information derived from the systematic presentation of threat data, in addition to a list of threatened species included in the IUCN Red List, provided important insight on specific watershed-level freshwater biodiversity and ecosystem risks.Supplemental local data and expert opinion is still important in tool application to validate and augment findings regarding potential freshwater biodiversity and ecosystem risks.
As a result of this effort, it was concluded that an enhanced IBAT would be useful in identifying specific existing threats to freshwater ecosystems and the information could be used to inform industry decisions. CI and Chevron are currently building enhanced freshwater functionality formally into the tool. Beyond Chevron, the enhanced IBAT will be available to any registered user, including other oil and gas companies, project financiers, and users of the LWT.
Management of Change (MOC) in Upstream Oil & Gas brownfield Facilities
Authors: Saleem Omer , Kovach Steve 
Published: June 2014

Abstract
Upstream oil & gas heavy oil steam-flood operation, typically involves a high volume of year-round process equipment changes outside of scheduled shutdowns. This coupled with high workforce transition rate, presents a challenge in establishing and sustaining an effective MOC program. This work is focused on improving the MOC for surface facilities in a high activity brownfield operation.
The objectives of this effort included taking the MOC program beyond regulatory requirements and to a proactive level. At high level, elements of the MOC improvement efforts included: Using Risk Based Process Safety (RBPS) approach to provide extra rigor to eligible "high focus" changes.Optimizing the MOC workflow for low risk high volume and "typical" changes.Influencing workforce behaviors to support proactive process safety (PS) culture.
New Technology for Groundwater Compliance Monitoring: Improving Efficiency, Reducing Incident Risk and Saving Money
Authors: Grassi M. E. , Benson U. , Thomas D. G 
Published: June 2014

Abstract
Compliance related groundwater monitoring presents significant costs and requires substantial resources of Chevron’s Australian Business Unit (Chevron Australia). Currently, Chevron Australia has in excess of 500 remotely located groundwater monitoring wells that require water quality sampling on a biannual, quarterly, or monthly basis. To help ensure safety, the sampling process is conducted in teams of two. The standard process includes travel to the remote monitoring sites and the manual handling of large quantities of equipment across native bush to reach each monitoring well head. The process then involves purging each well of approximately 80 L of waste water before sampling and further manual handling and transport of waste water to the disposal facility. Field crews conduct all of this work outdoors in northwest Australia where temperatures regularly exceed 40° C. Using this standard sampling method, each two person team can sample only about 8 to 10 monitoring wells per day. Compliance related groundwater monitoring represents about 180 person-days per year for Chevron Australia and these days have a relatively high risk of incident compared to more typical, predictable, and controllable work activities conducted by the workforce.
Through implementation of this alternative technology for groundwater sampling (i.e., Snap Sampler® devices), the Chevron Australia has achieved a quantum improvement in their compliance related groundwater monitoring program. This sampling method requires less equipment, generates no waste water, and significantly reduces the amount of manual handling activities. In addition, use of the method enables sampling of 20 or more wells per day. Further, the sampling method significantly improves data quality and reliability resulting in more streamlined and cost effective post-sampling analyses. Once fully implemented, it is estimated that this alternative technology will reduce the high risk field work from 180 person-days per year to about 100 person-days per year. The investment in the Snap Sampler® program is expected to be cost neutral in year 1 but save about 40% of current expenditures from year 2 forward.
Identification of potential human rights impacts: a comparison of two approaches
Authors: Vallat Julie , Lennock Jean , Gouley Clotilde 
Published: June 2014

Abstract
International discussions on corporate responsibility for the respect of human rights has increased significantly over the past few years culminating in the publication of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Total has been an active contributor to these discussions and, in parallel, has developed internal guidance on human rights to complement existing policies on risk evaluation and Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA). A range of industry guidance has, and is, being developed on the integration of human rights into impact assessments, yet there remains discussion about whether an integrated, stand-alone or mixed approach can best address these issues.
Total has identified the potential human rights risks and impacts of its exploration activities in a sub-saharan African country where the human rights context is particularly complex. A dual approach was taken: human rights issues were added to the scope of the ESIA, whilst in parallel a dedicated human rights impact assessment was commissioned.
A number of issues have emerged: the relation between the potential impacts of a relatively small scale exploration activity in a context of high human rights risk; the need to address risks and impacts related to a specific operation versus those that go beyond a limited geographic zone; the ‘conflict’ between confidentiality for both the company and those stakeholders consulted, and transparency.
This paper presents a comparative assessment of the methodologies used to identify potential human rights risks and impacts, evaluate their severity, and to identify mitigation measures. The strengths and weaknesses of each approach in this particular context are evaluated. It is anticipated that the assessment will provide lessons and practical recommendations for the industry given: the history and current human rights context in the operational area; the two studies being carried out in parallel for the same exploration activity in the same area, the different skills and experience being provided by the two organizations.
Protecting Worker Health Through Biological Monitoring: Urinary S-Phenylmercapturic Acid (SPMA) as a Tool for Assessing Barriers and Control Efficacy
Authors: Koller Kim L 
Published: June 2014

Abstract
Benzene is a common component of some petroleum streams. It is causally related to acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) and aplastic anemia and is associated with myelodysplastic syndrome. Depending on the country and regulator, the current occupational exposure limit (OEL) for an 8 hr TWA (Time Weighted Average) is between 0.5 – 1.0 ppm.
Biological monitoring for benzene may be performed as part of regular medical surveillance as well as post-incident. Given the continuous lowering of the OEL, it is imperative that a sensitive and specific biomarker be used. Urinary S-Phenylmercapturic Acid (S-PMA) was used as a biomarker to assess absorption of benzene and to provide assurance that engineering, personal protective including respirator controls are effectively utilized for all tasks. Smoking status of participants was assessed to review impact on S-PMA results.
Results showed that S-PMA levels are low and often below the laboratory cutoff value of 5μg/L in non smokers performing routine work, reflecting effective engineering and personal protective equipment (PPE) controls. About 25% of smokers performing routine tasks had S-PMAs results above 5μg/g of creatinine. This is likely due to benzene in cigarette smoke. Therefore, one must consider smoking status when interpretating workplace benzene absorption. During an incident, where there is a potential for benzene exposure, a careful review of smoking status along with other relevant factors, such as air monitoring, material of exposure, and use of PPE including respirators should be considered to determine effectiveness of controls.
Past studies and this data shows that biomarkers can accurately assess worker exposures and controls in protecting workers both for long and short-term exposures. During incidents where hydrocarbons containing benzene are released, early and proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and respirators can prevent absorption. This also suggests that US OSHA regulations for post incident biomonitoring currently requiring the non specific and less sensitive biomarker urinary phenol reflects older technology and science and should be updated to a specific and more sensitive biomarker for benzene such as urinary S-PMA.
Risk-Based Approach to Fatality Prevention
Authors: Donato Michael 
Published: June 2014

Abstract
Over the last 10 years total recordable incident rates (TRIR) within the global oil and gas industry continue to decline whereas fatality rates sustain by an average of five fatalities per year. The objective of a risk-based approach to fatality prevention is to differentiate high-risk work activities from low-risk work activities, assisting organizations in prioritizing resources such as supervision, procedures, and the allocation of trained personnel. The scope of a risk-based approach to fatality prevention includes organizational leadership, first-line supervisors, and personnel performing high-risk activities. Within the oil and gas industry total recordable incident rates continues to decline although a consistent number of fatalities occur each year.
The first step to institutionalize a risk-based approach to fatality prevention is to perform a risk- assessment of work activities to determine which activities possess the greatest likelihood of a fatality. The risk assessment is accomplished by reviewing past incidents and selecting the appropriate risk ranking method, such as a process hazard analysis or risk prioritization matrix. Using the results from the risk ranking separate the activities with the greatest likelihood of a fatality into groups and validate against past incident data. Once validation is complete use the high-risk activities to identify integration opportunities within existing processes and procedures. For example, using a risk-based approach to identify hot work in a confined space entry as a high-risk activity the fatality prevention emphasis prompted by integration into existing management processes ensures the appropriate procedures, training and oversight to complete the work safely.
The fatality prevention opportunities identified within existing processes and procedures assist the enterprise in business planning ultimately creating a management system shift to provide a higher emphasis where risk is greatest, such as activities where an individual may lose one’s life. In the past the oil and gas industry demonstrates the ability to decrease total recordable incidents although record ability does not necessarily correlate to severity. A risk based-approach to focus on activities where a fatality may occur ensures the appropriate level of management for activities while the existing safety management principles continue to decrease total recordable incidents.