Tag Archives: safety professionals

Eye Protection, General Safety Issues, Hand Protection, Head Protection, High Visibility Safety, Protective Clothing, Uncategorized

OFFSHORE DRILLING SAFETY – Joint Post

Offshore Rig Safety – Joint Post

Pat Brownlee writes for  Texas America Safety Company, (Blog4Safety), http://www.tasco-safety.com/ and David Beastall writes on behalf of Acre Resources,  who recruit for health and safety jobs.

Offshore drilling provides 24 percent of U.S. oil and 25 per cent of U.S. gas supply, but not without inherent occupational risks.

Personnel who work on offshore rigs normally work two weeks on and two weeks off. Their mode of transportation to and from platforms is usually by helicopter, unless situated close enough they can travel by vessel. As a result every employee must be trained on how to be deployed to and from helicopters.

The Gulf of Mexico has a constant flow of helicopter traffic, and the weather over the Gulf varies from fog to strong winds, thunderstorms, and hurricanes. In the United States, personnel safety for offshore drilling requires proper training in compliance with OSHA and American Petroleum Institute Standards.

The Health and Safety Executive in the UK recorded a fall in unintended oil and gas leaks in 2011 with the trend still present leading into the first quarter of 2012. However the HSE findings were that there are still further steps that need to be taken in order to reduce the risk of unnatural environmental disasters and occupational health and safety risks for drilling crews and energy professionals out in the field.

The number of leaks from hydrocarbons is seen as an important KPI and indication of how successful the offshore industries around the world are at managing major risks. Accidents and loss of life show a strong correlation to unintended sea oil and gas leaks.

So how is the offshore energy industry tackling health and safety responsibilities?

Rig specialists in safety are usually required to have a bachelor’s or associate degree in occupational health or public safety. These safety officers or advisors are responsible for emergency planning and implementation, conducting safety audits, and seeing that any safety-related problems are corrected. Offshore rig workers have a different kind of safety culture, as they not only must contend with the hazards of a land-based drilling rig, but the responsibilities that accompany working in a marine environment, and the costs of mistakes that might be made. They must be prepared on what to do in case of a fire or blow-out or other incident.

Demand for health and safety professionals who can provide foresight, analysis and manage the risks heavily involved and associated with high risk occupations and jobs are shown to be increasing demand. This is in part because natural carbon resource and energy suppliers are keen to avoid the potential fallout rather than investing in post disaster management. Such incidents that result in the loss of billions of dollars to put things back on the right track are often later revealed to have been avoidable in the first place were health and safety not ignored or corners cut in an attempt to squeeze down costs.

The last line of defense when something goes wrong on any job, is personal protective equipment, (PPE). Employers are responsible for training workers on how to use their safety gear and enforce the use of these pieces of equipment, which include hardhats, goggles or safety glasses, safety shoes, flotation devices, fire-retardant coveralls, and more.  The PPE any man or woman wears can be the difference between sustaining a minor injury to receiving a permanent disability. The protection it provides is limited, but the use of PPE is crucial.

Ensuring workers are comprehensively trained in how to use the personal protective equipment and potentially lifesaving resources available to them however can make a huge difference when the unexpected happens.

Nearly a year on from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, the attitudes and corporate culture surrounding the offshore energy industry are now seen to be changing, partly in response to some of the worst man-made environmental disasters experienced within the industry. The Deep Water Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico involved BP and one of their leased deep sea drilling rigs located within close proximity to the United States. When this exploded, 11 men were killed and many others sustained serious injury in the process alongside the consequences and environmental damage still being felt to this day.

General Safety Issues

ARE YOU A GOOD LISTENER?

Don’t you just hate it when you are telling something really interesting (to your spouse) and they are not even tuned in?  My husband says he doesn’t have to look at me to hear what I am saying, but it’s pretty hard to figure out if he is really listening to me when he’s watching a ballgame, or reading the paper!  When it comes to safety, however, we really should pay attention.  Our health and safety leaders are specially trained to help us all stay safe on the job.  Truly listening to the lessons they teach at work takes a skilled ear.  Communication skills, such as listening, are very important in the workforce.  There is a difference between “hearing” and “listening”.  You must focus with your ears, and your head, eyes, body, and heart.  What they are trying to teach you is for your own good. 

A transactional leader has a different approach than a transformational leader.  Both play very important roles.  The transactional leader is task-oriented and focuses on regulatory compliance.  He/she preserves the existing conditions and practices of the company, and is more likely to focus on the work than the worker.  A transformational leader prompts results in which the workers’ values coincide with the leaders’ values.  This type of leader is personally engaged with the worker and cares about them.  He/she focuses on both the work and the worker. 

I can remember going to safety meetings because they were required; I probably had other things on my mind; however, it was up to me to take the minutes, so I had to pay attention!  The thing was, though, most of the other employees were there because they either had to give a report, or it was mandatory.  Listening is a two-way deal.  The safety leader should listen to the employees when they tell them about any hazards on the job – after all, they are the ones who see them first-hand.  A good leader can prepare a message all day long – but it has to catch the attention of the others and deal with things that are of importance to their safety.  He must emphasize the importance of on the job safety supplies – how to wear it, and take care of it.  Otherwise, they may get injured because they did not pay attention.  OSHA has standards for all types of on-the-job hazards.  If company leadership doesn’t pay attention and insist on 100 per cent compliance, and an injury occurs, there could be fines to the company, and lost time from productivity. 

Listening is also a good skill to learn at home.  Your children may be trying to tell you something important, but you may be too busy to hear what they are saying.  Figuring out what teenagers are telling you is very important, and takes some “reading between the lines.”  Listening is a skill to have with your friends, too.  We all have so much to tell a good friend that we are just waiting for our turn to talk, rather than really taking note of what their news is.  A good friend who listens is truly a gift.   

If you have watched Undercover Boss on CBS, you have seen bosses in action, actually going out on the job and finding out what their employees go through to make money for the company, and earn their living.  They find out that it is a different world out there than sitting behind the desk making executive decisions.  Most have shown a very caring attitude for their employees after this experience. 

So, please “listen” to this advice:  pay attention at work, home, and play.  Stay safe and follow your safety leaders.  They know what they are talking about.