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HEALTH, SAFETY & ENVIRONMENT MAGAZINE for Oil & Gas industry
14
and more...
In this issue:
WHAT IF...
2OFFEX 2014
4
SSMTHEME EVENT
36
2014 / 2015
FOCAL POINTTRAINING
21
WINTER EDITION
2015 and beyond!healthy
page 12
A demanding economy. A workforce aging. Working longer.The importance of healthy and committed employeeswho work with pleasure is high.
ARE THEREPPE’s FOR... ?
18
HARMONIZINGINFORMATION
24
Safeand
2
Foreword
WHAT IF... Someone is inclined to act unsafely. This could jeopardize his own safety and possibly that of others. A fire, an explosion - in short, a disaster, and possibly death! If I do something,I might prevent an incident. If I do something, no one will probably know that I’ve prevented an incident. Nobody will know if those unsafe actions could repeat themselves in the future. Nobody will know about the potential danger of the situation, and if the danger might re-occur in the future.NOBODY WILL KNOW!
WHAT IF...Someone is inclined to act unsafely. This could jeopardize his own safety and possibly that of others. But what happens if I DON’T intervene - and the incident does occur? Then, my own safety and that of others will be in danger. A fire, an explosion - in short, a disaster, and possibly death! Then, everybody will know about the incident. Then, everybody will know that I could and should have prevented it from happening. Then, everyone will know that this had to do with an unsafe action which could possibly re-occur in the future. Then, everyone will know about the potential danger of this situation and the fact that it might occur again in the future.EVERYONE WILL KNOW!
Now it looks as though you can never do it right - but that is absolutely not the case. It all has to do with your intuition. If you feel danger coming, listen to what you feel. It is always difficult to confront another person about something which MIGHT happen, but doing nothing could have enormous consequences. Not only for yourself - also for the other person, for your family, for the company, for the environment, for our health and our safety.
WHAT IF...DOING NOTHING IS NOT AN OPTION!
On behalf of THE WAT GROUPPier van Spronsen
3
On 2 October 2014, the Den Helder Naval Base was the
setting for a major incident exercise – the Offshore Exercise
(OFFEX 2014), hosted by Total E&P Nederland. The exercise
offered all those involved a better understanding of their role and
responsibilities in an emergency. Marc Kloppenburg
(Total E&P Nederland), Gert-Jan Windhorst (NOGEPA) and
Joost Michelhoff (AdviSafe) report.
4
A gas leak on a North Sea gas production platform. How can we evacuate the crew safely and efficiently?Who does what and when?
OFFEX 2014
“This exercise confirmed the excellent cooperation between the Dutch Oil
and Gas Operators and the government,” Windhorst explains. “OFFEX
2014 is a joint exercise involving the Dutch Oil and Gas Operators, united
as NOGEPA, and the Dutch government. However, other parties also
played an active role during the exercise – the State Supervision of Mines
(SSM), the Coast Guard, the Safety Region Noord-Holland Noord, the
municipality of Den Helder, the Royal Navy, the Ministry of Economic
Affairs and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment.”
Scenario
The exercise revolved around the scenario of an incident occurring during a
gas well intervention at one of the Total E&P Nederland production platforms
in the North Sea. The incident results in an uncontrolled escape of gas from
the well and necessitates the evacuation of all personnel on board the offshore
installation. According to the scenario, over 80 people, including a number of
injured crew, had to be brought ashore. Their arrival at Den Helder Naval Base
was re-enacted in real time, complete with Emergency Services and Welfare
Workers, all ready to assist and provide medical care for the injured.
The scenario was based on a real incident that occurred in 2010 at another
Operator’s location: “In order to allow an earth layer to produce natural gas, we
use a so-called perforating gun to shoot holes through the casing at the earth
layer,” Kloppenburg explains. “But we received the indication that the gun may
not have gone off. Back at the surface, it all went wrong when the perforating
gun did go off, shooting holes in the riser above the “Christmas tree” (assembly
of valves to close-in the well safely), causing a large amount of gas to escape
through the holes.” Kloppenburg reveals that while the perforating gun did go off
in the real-life situation “luckily no gas escaped.”
5
6
Objective of the exercise
The objective of this exercise was for the industry and
government to assess their ability to jointly handle calamities
and incidents, and to practice the effective coordination of
mutual tasks and responsibilities. “We need to be sure that
both the industry and the various government bodies involved,
are ready to handle a major evacuation of personnel after an
offshore incident,” Kloppenburg says. “This was the first time
we had the chance to test the network card we developed with
these incidents in mind.”
Michelhoff adds that the exercise was also intended to improve
cooperation between the industry and government during
calamities.
The K6 Central Complex , where the incident was staged, is located next to a Workfox hotel island,
Seafox 2. Joost Michelhoff takes up the story: “A lot of people spend their nights there and according to the scenario
they all had to be evacuated as the complex was to be completely evacuated and shut down. However, the men didn’t
actually have to leave the platform and be taken ashore in lifeboats. Both for practical and safety reasons we left
that part out since it was not the main objective of the exercise. Upon arrival at Den Helder, the scenario was
resumed: a standby vessel was moored at a designated spot in
the naval base where all emergency services personnel
stood waiting to assist.”
MAYDAY! MAYDAY! GAS LEAK!
“We need to be sure that the
industry is ready to handle a
major incident”.
“Testing the network card is essential:
only then can you verify whether everybody
is doing what he’s supposed to do and knows
when to do it.”
7
Network card
“The network card covers all the agreements made between parties involved in
the handling of the arrival of large numbers of evacuees,” Michelhoff says.
“It was the real-time testing of this network card that made this exercise unique.
The card was presented at the end of last year (HSElife magazine edition 11)
but had yet to be put into practice. It details the agreements on who does
what in the event of a major incident. Where do the responsibilities lie? Does
everyone have the same information? It creates clarity on how to cooperate and
communicate. True-to-life testing is the only way to find out if the agreements are
clear enough.”
The network card forms an important basis for the correct approach of the arrival
of evacuees because it centres on effective communication between everyone
involved, Kloppenburg agrees. “All parties involved in this exercise are part of the
network card scheme.”
Windhorst explains that the network card was produced jointly by the Operators,
SSM, the Coast Guard, the municipality of Den Helder, the Safety Region
and the Navy. “Testing the card is essential: only then can you verify whether
everybody is doing what he’s supposed to do and knows when to do it. You can
see who plays which role, who takes the decisions, who is responsible, who
takes action, who needs to be warned. Everyone involved is a link in the chain
and the chain must not be broken. A number of Operators have already included
the network card in their Emergency Response Manual or Plan.”
MAYDAY! MAYDAY! GAS LEAK!
“Each team
has its own
designated tasks
but communicating
effectively with one
another is key.”
8
Emergency teams
TA number of Total E&P Nederland emergency teams will be activated in the event of a major incident.
Kloppenburg provides the details: “There’s the Site Emergency Team for rescuing people, and the Fire
Fighting & Rescue Team Offshore, but also the Emergency Response Team at our headquarters in The
Hague and the Next of Kin Team, responsible for informing the victims’ families. The Media Response Team
handles the press, while the Crisis Management Team takes all the strategic decisions and approves press
releases. During the exercise, all these teams were active. Here too, testing is crucial to ensure that all
information exchange runs smoothly.”
During a major incident, mutual communication is paramount, Windhorst insists. How well do these people
– each with their own responsibility within the big picture – communicate with each other? And what
information can be validated and shared with the media?
Kloppenburg is Total E&P Nederland’s HSEQ Manager and is a member of the Crisis Management Team.
He explains his role during the exercise: “I am responsible for all strategic decisions concerning safety,
health and the environment. The team considers the long term effects. First I inform our Human Resources
Manager and our Public Relations Manager, who inform and activate their respective teams: the Next of
Kin Team and the Media Response Team. Each team has its own designated tasks but communicating
effectively with one another is key. Together with the Operations Manager, I am the linking pin between the
Emergency Response Team and the Crisis Management Team. We assess the situation – where people are
and how many are wounded. In other words, we make sure we know the actual incident status. Then, the
Crisis Management Team considers various possible scenarios. For instance, are we dealing with an oil spill
or a situation where there are large numbers of severe casualties or fatalities? I also communicate with the
State Supervision of Mines (SSM) – our authority – to keep them abreast of the situation. Every half hour we
take time out to consider the actual status and the action we need to take.”
Michelhoff continues: “Obviously, everyone concerned needs to know how many evacuees are involved,
how many are injured and where they have to be taken. They all have a specific role to play in this process.
The municipality plays a supportive role by gathering, assisting and registering evacuees. The Navy has the
facilities to assist people at the Den Helder Naval Base, so the evacuees can be shielded from the outside
world and will not be bothered by reporters and the like. The Navy also has its Emergency Services on stand-
by. The Offshore Installation Manager (OIM) plays an important role in raising the alarm at the platform and
handling the situation there.”
The Dutch government has also been assigned a number of tasks, Windhorst says. ”For instance, they
coordinate air traffic. The Department of Waterways and Public Works coordinates maritime traffic and seals
off the area.”
MAYDAY! MAYDAY! GAS LEAK!
9
Michelhoff fills in the details on his role during the exercise: “I was the exercise
leader, which essentially means that I controlled the timeline and the scenario. I did
so from a ‘response cell’ together with a team of role players. Beforehand, we had
put together a script containing messages to be divided among the role players. At
fixed times, it was their task to convey these messages as realistically as possible.
For instance, they played worried family members calling for information or a
reporter anxious for information. Or a Greenpeace representative calling to find out
if the situation at the platform was safe. Obviously, it was important to convey the
correct messages. There was someone from the Coast Guard taking the Mayday
messages being sent out from the platform. His job was to dispatch Search and
Rescue (SAR) helicopters and rescue boats – all fictitious in this case, obviously.
Additionally, a website had been built especially to simulate the response from the
media and the general public. Tweets were sent to Total and there was a fake NU.nl
page so that people really felt they were caught up in a calamity or a crisis situation.”
The method of notification also needed to be monitored, Michelhoff says.
This meant making sure that the notification procedures were followed and
that all participants were getting involved in the exercise at the right moment.
“We received a call from the Director of the Department of Waterways and Public
Works – asking whether the exercise had started yet because he still hadn’t heard
anything. Obviously, we then had to intervene to make sure all the messages were
reaching the right people at the right time.”
MAYDAY! MAYDAY! GAS LEAK!
10
Workshop well control
“In order to watch and learn, representatives from other Dutch Oil and Gas Operators came to observe but
took no part in the exercise,” says Windhorst. “The evacuation and landing of the victims took place during
the morning. Observers stood at several locations watching as events unfolded.”
Kloppenburg: “In the afternoon, Total E&P Nederland
presented a Well Control workshop, where we explained
to our audience what we would do in the event of a
real uncontrolled gas flow at the platform. We told the
authorities and industry representatives which steps
we would take to bring the well back under control.
Wild Well Control - a specialised US company – used
an animation to show everyone how the gas well could
be brought back under control. The audience had the
opportunity to ask questions on why a certain action
should or should not be taken. An SSM representative
was also present to explain the actions for which an operator would require authorisation – SSM needs to
authorise the operator’s programmes for bringing the well back under control.”
MAYDAY! MAYDAY! GAS LEAK!
11MAYDAY! MAYDAY! GAS LEAK!
Michelhoff points to the 2010 oil disaster in the Gulf
of Mexico as the main trigger for holding OFFEX for
the past few years. The SSM requires the industry to
practise similar situations – in case such disaster were
to befall the Netherlands.
Photography Den Haag:Bo-Anne van Egmond, journalist Noord-Hollandse Courant
Read about the lessons learned
from OFFEX in the next issue of
HSElife Magazine!
HSEIN 2015HOW DO WE STAY VITAL?A demanding economy. A workforce aging. Working longer. The importance of healthy and committed employeeswho work with pleasure is high.
Health, Safety and Environment are inextricably linked. When we
talk about these issues we usually talk about safety. But there’s a
clear interaction. The industry should naturally create conditions for
employees to remain vital and to receive justice. But employees also
have their own responsibility when it comes to health. If you do not
take good care of yourself and give little attention to your health, you
lose focus and dangerous situations may arise which could have a
negative impact on your health and the environment.
It’s a vicious circle.
12
SUSTAINABLE EMPLOYABILITYHow can the industry facilitate the wellbeing of employees so they can take care of themselves?
Sustainable employability plays an essential role.
That means paying attention to psychosocial
workload, stress and workload, vitality, safety,
training and mobility. Sustainable employability
symbolizes a healthy, functioning and vital
organization. HSElife UNIO contributes to
sustainable employability of employees in the
Oil and Gas Industry and indirectly to their
health. Think of HSE items on the HSElife UNIO’s
website on Benzene, Mercury and Natural Gas
Condensate. These items contain harmonized
information which helps you to work safely and
healthily.
In its safety and health bulletin from October
8, State Supervision of Mines (SSM) indicates
the crucial importance of harmonization of HSE
rules. SSM recognizes that development of
HSElife UNIO is a great step in the development
of uniform HSE information for the Oil and Gas
Industry.
HEALTH PROGRAMSThe Operators participating in HSElife UNIO
already use various health programs.
We have already addressed some of these
health programs in previous editions of HSElife
magazine.
MOBILE HEALTH TOOLSAre you a fanatic athlete or do you want to know if you live healthy?
There are several mobile health tools which
help you to increase your health awareness. For
example the mart watches with health sensors
that allow you to monitor your heart rate. Or health
apps which show the status of your health in a
glance.
13
HSE guidelinesDecember 2012
THE NATIONAL OIL&GAS INDUSTRY STANDARD FOR PROFESSIONALS
HMERCURY
HSE LIFE
HSElife UNIO KWIK A6 UK.indd 1 25/02/14 16:25
HSE guidelinesMay 2012
THE NATIONAL OIL&GAS INDUSTRY STANDARD FOR PROFESSIONALS
SNATURAL GASCONDENSATE
HSE LIFE
HSELIFEUNIO Aardgascondensaat A6 UK.indd 1 25/02/14 13:37
HSE guidelinesJanuary 2012
HBENZENE
HSE LIFETHE INTERNATIONAL OIL&GAS INDUSTRY STANDARD FOR PROFESSIONALS
HSELIFEUNIO Benzene A6 UK.indd 1 25/02/14 14:24
14
‘SAFETY COMMUNICATION’PILOT
AT NAM SITEWe have known for many years that rubbish generates more rubbish. If, for instance, in a dead-end street a graffiti ban is visibly ignored, passers-by are more likely to litter the street with paper.
15
Could muddled safety communications at NAM sites
(posters, notes, check lists, logos, hand-written notices)
beside the serious safety communications, similarly
impact the compliance of other rules covering the sites?
There was a hunch that messy safety communications
might generate messy, and therefore unsafe behaviour.
In addition, these safety communications showed a
marked lack in uniformity. It was not immediately evident
whether a communication is a ban, a point of attention,
a request or a reminder. And it should be. All in all, more
than enough reasons to investigate whether things
could be done differently.
16
The pilot at NAM’s Blija site As a result, Manager Operations for NAM’s Asset Land Herman Baars
agreed with the agency MindMeeting to conduct a pilot study. MindMeeting’s
meeting designers were to conduct a pilot to test alternative options for
communications focused on safety. With input gathered from NAM’s and
contractor’s HSE specialists, united in CASOS, as well as from behavioural
specialists of the department of cross-media communications in the public
domain of the Utrecht University for Applied Sciences, the pilot study “Safety
Communications” was launched at the NAM Blija site last October. A CASOS
working group of HSE specialists from both NAM and contractors closely
monitored the implementation. The engineers and managers working at the
NAM Blija site had a very cooperative attitude towards this pilot.
17
Instruments developed togetherwith local supervisors
Curious? Would you like to learn more about this pilot and/or are you curious to
hear about the outcomes? Then please contact Agnes Voorintholt
In the course of the pilot, the working group eliminated all existing safety communications,
except for those that are legally required. Management at this turnaround used different means
to provide information on safety issues. These instruments were suggested by the pilot’s experts,
upon due consultation with local supervisors. An example is the tourniquet which was placed
at the site access. Employees could only get through with a special pass. The consequence is
an unmistakeable passage between the ‘normal’ world and a ‘danger zone’. Additionally, each
day, three employees with a variety of technical backgrounds would do a round on the plant with
the task of indicating potentially dangerous situations on a site map. And last but not least, the
working group developed a system, based on simple cards that specify recurrent risks, allowing
supervisors to engage in low-threshold conversations with employees about the risks they may
face during their work. Hendrik Jan Rotman, the plant responsible officer at the Blija site:
“I noticed that the workers address unsafe behaviour to each other and even when they are not
doing the round on the plant report and solve potentially dangerous situations.”
Following a zero measurement during the pre-turnaround, test results were gathered during the
turnaround. Measurements included the so-called Oddball test, allowing for a quantification
of alertness (speed of reaction), evaluations by supervisors and the minuting of each start-
work meeting. The results are currently under evaluation and they are expected to produce
recommendations by mid December.
PILOT ‘SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS’ AT NAM SITE
18
The European Commission’sGeneral Data Protection Regulation, which is intended to improve the protection of
personal data, will soon take effect. This ‘Privacy
Regulation’ will replace existing privacy legislation
throughout the European Union. It will have a
profound impact on companies and Contractors
whose operations involve the use of personal
data, including, of course, those in the Oil and Gas
industry.
Are there
If not, be aware!
PPE’sfor personal data?
19
While the processing of personal data is probably
not a major aspect of most companies’ and
Contractor operations, personnel administration,
for example, does involve a database that
contains employees’ personal details. Such data
is subject to privacy legislation, which means
that it falls under this new regulation. In this
article, therefore, we will discuss some of the
main changes involved, from the employer’s
perspective. The changes that affect employees
will also be addressed.
All companies whose operations involve the
use of personal data (which, of course, includes
employers in the On and Offshore industry) will
have to deal with many new obligations. First,
policy regarding persona data processing (the
generic term for any action involving personal
data, such as its collection and retention) must
be transparent for, and easily accessible to,
the individuals whose data is being processed
(the ‘stakeholders’). This policy must also be
verifiable for the privacy authority in question (in
the Netherlands, this is the Dutch Data Protection
Authority (CBP), which will soon be renamed the
Personal Data Authority). One of the elements
of this ‘privacy policy’ will be an indication of
which personal data is being processed, and why.
Another will be a specification of the measures
taken by the company to bring it into compliance
with the legislation. An important aspect of
the privacy policy is the security of the data in
question. The new legal demands imposed on
such security have not changed materially, but –
unlike the present situation – inadequate security
may result in substantial fines.
For each violation, the penalty can be
as high as 2% of global annual turnover!
If a security breach should unexpectedly occur,
in which unauthorized individuals gain access to
personal data by hacking, for example, then the
company must notify the privacy authority as soon
as possible and must take appropriate measures,
or risk incurring a similarly substantial fine.
If the personnel administration is subcontracted
to a third party (e.g. a payroll company) either
partially or in full, the employer and the third party
involved must set out their agreements on this
matter in the form of a written contract.
In addition, companies with more than 250
employees will have to extensively document all
forms of processing. They will also have to appoint
a data protection officer (DPO). The DPO will act as
the first point of contact in the area of privacy, both
for the employees and for the privacy authority.
Not only have the employers’ obligations increased,
the stakeholders also have more rights. Thus, when
they are asked to submit personal data, employees
should be given understandable information on
matters such as how and why the processing is
to be carried out, about their rights, and about the
company’s privacy policy. Stakeholders can inspect
data relating to them at any time, free of charge.
If necessary, they can have this data amended.
Employers will soon be obliged to provide any and
all requested information, or risk incurring a fine.
The substantial fines stipulated by the Privacy
Regulation are not expected to come into effect
before 2017. In anticipation of this, however,
existing privacy legislation in the Netherlands
will be tightened up in the course of 2015. In this
connection, the Personal Data Authority’s powers
will be expanded, allowing it to impose fines in
excess of 800,000 euros for specific violations.
So, in the short term, there will be major changes
for companies whose operations involve the
use of personal data. Operating a privacy policy
and ensuring the security of personal data will
become even more serious matters than they are
at present. Any companies that take these matters
too lightly will risk substantial fines. In light of the
above, it makes good sense to take action now, in
anticipation of the new legislation.
Victor Bouman
www.wieringa.nl
Lex Bruinhof
20 ARE THERE PPE’S FOR PERSONAL DATA?
TRAININGFOCAL POINT
Focal points are ambassadors for the implementation of
HSElife UNIO in the Contractor organizations. To prepare them
for their role, HSElife UNIO organized a number of Focal point
training courses late 2014. Early 2015 there will yet be a number
of training courses.
How does harmonization ofHSE rules and regulations spread like wildfire?
21
Meanwhile, 63 Contractor organizations participate in
HSElife UNIO. The Focal point is contact person for
HSElife UNIO. So within the Contractor organization
he or she is the point of contact for HSElife UNIO.
The Focal point ensures implementation in the
Contractor organization. In turn HSElife UNIO
supports the Focal point and keeps him or her
regularly informed of developments.
WHAT DOES IMPLEMENTATION OFHSELIFE UNIO MEAN?
It means integrating HSElife UNIO in the culture
of the Contractor organizations in order to create
more safety awareness. In addition, a culture must
arise in which employees have the freedom to come
up with suggestions on what can be improved on
the shopfloor. Speaking the same clear language
regarding Health, Safety and Environment and
harmonization of regulations by focusing primarily on
agreements between Companies and Contractors.
That is the goal the member parties of HSElife UNIO
pursue. The ultimate goal is to achieve Incident Free
Operations.
CONTRACTOR FORUM
The training courses are also a good opportunity to
discuss the establishment of a Contractor Forum.
Soon there will be around twelve people in this
Forum. The aim is to discuss and elaborate on the
wishes and ideas of the workplace. Two members
of the Contractor Forum will also be a member of
the Steering Committee of HSElife UNIO in order to
present the plans the Forum creates.
22 FOCAL POINT TRAINING
FEEDBACK
Feedback from participants on the training
showed the major need for harmonization of
HSE rules within the Oil and Gas Industry. In addition, participants
recognized the importance of the Focal points.
General reactions to the training so far:
• a good initiative
• a clear and fresh setup
• room for dialogue
• a user-friendly interactive environment
• surprised about the content and goal of HSElife UNIO
SUPPORT
All Focal points will be regularly informed
on developments within HSElife UNIO
through HSElife magazine, newsletters,
ABCDs and OnlyOffice Platform.
23FOCAL POINT TRAINING
24
informationHarmonizing
Oil and Gas Operators often use the same materials but the product specs tend to vary significantly.
25
Lisenka van der Wilt-Wilms is CEO of P. Smit BV
Construction Workshop in Den Helder. She tells us about
the different safety approaches the Offshore Industry
companies take. “Clients like to re-invent the wheel.
It never ceases to amaze me that although safety goals
are the same, execution and instruction tend to vary to
a large extent.”
The company makes products varying from simple to complex. Their employees also work on
location. “90% of our orders come from Offshore related companies such as Oil and Gas Operators,
windmill parks, the Navy and scientific institutes.”
26 VAN PROCESS ENGINEERING NAAR OPERATIONSVAN PROCESS ENGINEERING NAAR OPERATIONS
Different safetyrequirements
Unambiguous information
“Most companies discuss with us specialized products and the development thereof, because
everything we make is client specific,” Van der Wilt-Wilms explains. “Our principals discuss with
us the safety requirements related to the products we design and manufacture for them. The client
specific nature of the products is exactly why we detect the differences. Which doesn’t mean we
don’t work safely. We encourage our employees to work safely by training them and through our
internal guidelines. Our employees are well aware of the risk and know how to manage it. Every
entrepreneur should always recognize that if an employee is involved in an incident, this will not
only result in personal suffering but may also result in damage to the company’s image and turnover
losses. I just don’t want to have to visit an employee’s family to explain what went wrong and why it
happened.”
Unambiguous information is crucial in order to prevent confusion – especially when her people
work on location, Van der Wilt-Wilms says. “Fortunately, I do detect initiatives to at least align
the information different parties use. This diminishes the risk of confusion, misunderstanding
and therefore incidents. What strikes me is that different principals not always follow the same
requirements. Certification required to be permitted to go Offshore for instance can vary among
HARMONIZING INFORMATION
27VAN PROCESS ENGINEERING NAAR OPERATIONS
Clever solution
different Operators. One Operator requires their personnel to take a special training in order to get
permission to go Offshore – and another Operator has no such requirement. One would expect all
Operators to follow the same requirements, but in fact they don’t. It seems as though each Operator
follows their own set of rules. Having said that, I do see a more unambiguous approach developing.
Another example: different requirements are being applied to the products we manufacture. For
instance, when we are manufacturing pipe spools and a weld inspection is needed, one principals
asks for 10% while the other wants 100%. Often, the principals themselves don’t know exactly
which product requirements need to be met, I notice. Whether it’s about weld inspections or
Offshore training. They assume we do know and leave the matter to us. But, obviously, we are not
familiar with all specs of every company. That’s not our responsibility.”
“It would be a good thing if the E&P companies harmonize their way of working and their instructions
even more than they do at the moment. Involving the Contractors directly and sooner, even before the
contract is given out, would be a clever solution. This would not only be more efficient and effective
but on top of that, it would contribute significantly to safety performance.”
HARMONIZING INFORMATION
28
Reinforcingsafety culture
The man on the shop floor needs things to
be clear. And from now on, they are!
“HSElife UNIO complements DANA Petroleum
Netherlands safety culture very effectively,” says Production
Operations Manager Bert Abbas. Dana Petroleum has
started HSElife UNIO Offshore implementation.
“HSElife UNIO is meant to benefit the man on the shop floor,”
Abbas says. “To us, it is important to stay in touch with
the Offshore crew using tangible and understandable
materials. The brochures, interactive on
screen presentations and video’s at the
HSElife UNIO site create more safety
awareness for the men and are
of added value to everyday
work.”
29
“Firstly, we informed the OIM’s and Supervisors of the fact that
we were going to officially implement HSElife UNIO within
our organization. Subsequently, we brought HSElife
UNIO to their attention, so that beforehand they were
able to discover the possibilities HSElife UNIO
has to offer. Then we have HSElife UNIO
a prominent position in our safety
meetings.”
HSElife UNIO implementation
Safetymeetings
Last Minute Risk Analysis (LMRA)
Safety culture
“Each month, we highlight a theme as part of our
normal activities. During the safety meeting with the
crew, we then address and discuss HSElife UNIO materials
relevant to the theme. At that moment the whole crew are present
– not just Dana crew but also the Contractors and temporary personnel
such as painters, scaffold builders and construction workers. By doing this,
we reach all personnel on the shop floor. During the safety meeting, not only
the Supervisor or OIM addresses a subject but others do so as well. For
instance, our medic instructs us on what to do if someone has been struck
by an electrical shock. In cases likes this we also use HSElife UNIO materials.
At the same time, the safety meeting is also a good way to monitor HSElife
UNIO implementation progress and to see where improvements can be
made.”
“Within our organization we’re trying to enlarge LMRA exposure and to implement it further. We want the use of
LMRA to become our crew’s second nature. Here, we also see a connection to HSElife UNIO since LMRA
is part of HSElife UNIO material, such as brochures and on screen presentations. Apart from this, we
collect as many best practices as we can find. For example, some of the Operators use overalls with
the letters LMRA embroidered on the sleeves. My job is to find out if this really works and if people
really use this.”
In conclusion, Abbas emphasizes the strong safety culture within Dana Petroleum.
“Our HSE systems are solid. Just as our Task Risk Analysis, Permit-to-Work
system, insulating procedure, work instructions, procedures etcetera are.
Many of these instructions have been composed by our offshore people
themselves which results in maximum acceptance. We use HSElife
UNIO materials to expand our knowledge even further. Moreover,
the materials help us to tell the same story throughout the
whole industry, because of their contribution to working
safely. It is this uniformity that makes HSElife UNIO so
powerful.”
ANOTHER STEP TOWARDS
INFORMATION!
ANDUNAMBIGUOUS
HARMONIZED
This quote reflects the unique aspect of HSElife UNIO: through
cooperation between the Oil and Gas Operators who are active in the
Netherlands, harmonization of rules and regulations regarding Health
Safety and Environment is being realized. This cooperation now results
in a harmonized Interactive Induction Offshore and Onshore training.
See www.hselifeunio.com (Refresher & Training).
“The great end of living is to harmonize man with the order of things,”the American writer
Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote.
30
31
During the Steering Committee meeting of 6 November, the Operators participating in HSElife UNIO have
given their final agreement on this interactive Offshore and Onshore training. In this way they take another
step for unambiguous information through progressive harmonization and through sharing HSE information.
This also results in a new step towards safer operations.
Whom is the harmonized Offshore and/or Onshore interactivetraining meant for?
Everyone who works at an Offshore or Onshore location is required to make the training and the corresponding
test. It is about the basic rules, procedures and regulations regarding HSE that everyone should know and
follow.
Why a harmonized Offshore and Onshore training?
If you have completed the test successfully, you will receive a certificate and a HSElife UNIO sticker in your
Personal Safety Logbook (PSL). The OIM or Site Supervisor signs off the sticker. This sticker is a security
certificate for access to an Offshore or Onshore location from the Operators participating in HSElife UNIO.
This means that you don’t need to make an ‘admission exam’ time and time again. Besides, there will
always be the location-specific information.
This is another step to make it possible for
Contractors and Subcontractors to work in
the same way and to get the same signal
from their clients. Accidents are prevented
because of clarity and unambiguity in the
working method.
Questions or comments?
Do you have questions or
comments? Send them to
HSElife UNIO is supported by
Participating Contractors
Participating Operators
32 ANOTHER STEP TOWARDS UNAMBIGUOUS AND HARMONIZED INFORMATION!
John van Schie of NAM andJürgen Joosten of Centrica are blogging about the ‘Management of Safety Health & Environment’ (MoSHE) Master’s programme that they are taking at the Delft University of Technology. Read their blog.
33
34
Hi Jürgen,
To get straight to the point: I failed to submit a draft thesis in July. Instead, I chose to give extra attention to my
father during the process of his surgery. Presently, he is recovering fairly well. Due to his age his recovery takes more
time, I found. Therefore, I haven’t been able to work a lot on my thesis in July and in August we took a vacation. We
went camping which we enjoyed tremendously. We’re very fond of France but in order to find nice weather, we had
to travel further south than we usually do. Eventually, we ended up in Spain. Here, we spent time in the Pyrenees,
on the coast and in Barcelona. What a wonderful country Spain is! We’ve decided to go further south more often.
The time off did me a lot of good. While camping in a different environment with nice weather and good food, I
completely forgot about work and my thesis. It supplied me with renewed energy to really go for it in September.
However, I did decide to take some rest more regularly. That’s why in the weekends, I only work on my thesis for
one day. The other day I devote to my family, to visiting friends and leisure activity. I find that by doing this, my
energy level stays up and I’m feeling good which I needed for my trip to China to conduct an audit. In preparation,
I’ve received several documents already. Hard to decipher, these Chinese characters – however beautiful they look.
Luckily, by using Google Translate I’m able to figure some of it out and a translation agency helps us with the most
important documents. In your last email, you wrote that we should all search for the best possible solutions in our
effort to prevent incidents from happening. With this in mind, you found it strange that different solutions were being
applied by different companies. I agree that this is indeed strange. That is why I’m happy to be able to contribute
to the HSElife UNIO harmonization path – however long this path still seems to be. Even within NAM, it’s not easy
to get everyone to follow a commonly agreed line. We work with responsible and intelligent people and we have to
help them in making the right choices by using good arguments and insights from the outside world. Harmonization
is necessary in order to offer clarity to our Contractors, who often work for several different Operators. An interesting
challenge – this is what makes our job so fascinating.
By the way, our Contractor Safety Day have taken place. Together with NAM Contractors, we have discussed the
specifics of our joint 2015 HSE Annual Plan. A nice challenge in which we have also include the harmonization
factor. I have facilitated a brainstorm session and a discussion. I was very much looking forward to it and I’m curious
as to what results we will achieve. It was an interesting day! The fact that neither of us has submitted our thesis also
has a silver lining. Because for now we can continue writing our blogs. I’m curious to know what stage your thesis is
in and how everything is at work.
Regards,
John
TOILING AND SWEATING FOR HSE
35TOILING AND SWEATING FOR HSE
Hey John,
I’m so sorry to hear about your father – obviously, all else will have to wait. I agree completely: family comes first, before work, however hard that may be. Not to mention having to spend time on your education. One can’t do everything at once.
Not many people notice but as a safety officer you deal with new challenges every day. While driving to my office, I already have a list in my head of the things that need to be done that day. For instance: apart from the daily meetings and other obligations, reports need to be made and checked. When after a 30 minutes drive I arrive at the office, the first thing I do is compose a to-do list. But at the end of the day, if I have gotten round to even one of these items, I should congratulate myself. Something always comes up. Simple questions with big consequences.
Sometimes these questions are being asked by field workers but I also get questions from our holding company. For instance – take the ‘Compresses Air Escape Breathing System’ implementation in the UK. During helicopter flights, this has now become a mandatory requirement. How do we deal with this in the Netherlands? Is it mandatory for us as well? Not yet, but it does give us problems because from Den Helder we also fly to our rigs on the UK continental plate. Therefore, all of a sudden this becomes mandatory for us as well. So… let’s do it then, you would say. But this means we need to train our people and stop sharing helicopters with other Operators. And so on and so forth. A small change with huge consequences. These kinds of things keep me occupied in my daily routine. Every time a new challenge presents itself. However, I do try to make sure my family get the attention they deserve.
How nice of you to mention your contentment relating to your contribution to HSElife UNIO. I couldn’t agree more. I, too think that our generation is able to change the world. At all times we need to aspire to less incidents, to equal values and procedures AND to working safely. The other day, I heard someone telling a story about the British National Rowing Team. During the Olympic Games last year, this team won gold. Before they started rowing, their coach said: ‘If not you, then who? If not now, then when?’
These sentences perfectly reflect my feelings toward the harmonization of safety procedure, systems and culture. During our Contractor Days, we can take our industry to a new level by working together and sending the same message to the outside world. We have to do it ourselves and I think now the time is right. Let’s aspire to an industry with zero incidents.
I could apply the same quote to our theses. I should really finally finish it!
Regards, Jürgen
to
SSM theme event
dangerousExposure
Within the Oil and Gas Industry,
the man on the shop floor is not
always aware of the health risk when
exposed to dangerous substances.
36
substances
The unfamiliarity with the exposure to dangerous substances, its effects as well as
the growing concern with this issue within the Oil and Gas Industry formed the reason
for this SSM theme event. Jan van Driel and Hans Weenink report.
Van Driel: “We invited works council, unions and branch organizations NOGEPA and IRO
representatives to join us on November 4th in order to discuss this subject. It was our
intention to exchange information and experiences on dangerous substances and the role
of the substances RI&E. Through this event, we are able to get an impression of the way
safety is being perceived within the industry and of the concerns employees harbor. After
all, together with the industry we are searching for the answer to the question of how to
create a greater awareness.”
Group discussion
During the event, there was a mixture of guest speakers and group discussions.
The presentation by Expertise Center of the Inspectorate SZW’s Nathan Kuper contributed
greatly to this awareness, Weenink says. He spoke about the European REACH and VIB’s
regulations. “From his speech, it became obvious that the VIB’s should be readily available
and that workers should be well aware of the risk imposed on them because of the
substances they work with.” During the presentation it was also mentioned what kind of
information the downstream user needs and what exactly he is supposed to do with that
information, Van Driel adds. “Furthermore, the exposure assessment was mentioned,”
Van Driel says. “These are extended safety data sheets containing scenario’s having to do
with the use of the (dangerous) substance or mixture and the safety measures to be taken.
The scenario’s make clear which procedure you should follow when using the substance
or mixture.” Many people in de audience indicated that they found the information they
received very useful.
37
This is the reason why at present, employees are often not aware of the effects of the exposure to
dangerous substances, says Weenink. Van Driel: “Another point of concern was that the theoretical
reality differs from the shop floor reality. During the theme event there were signals that the mining
and drilling companies’ shop floor workers and the hired Contractor personnel are not always aware
of the danger of the substances they work with. In this respect, the Permit-to-Work Holder and Issuer
rely upon the know-how of the certified companies. However, some of the participants think this is
also a risk factor. In these cases, it is important to thoroughly examine the risk and the measures to be
taken during the working permit process. It was also mentioned that work supervision could be better,
especially with the many foreign workers and independent contractors on the shop floor. Often times,
there is no assigned supervisor present which means supervision responsibility shifts to the Contractor
who therefore has to do more work in less time. We signal a vacuum here.”
Points of concern
Several points of concern surfaced during the group
discussions. “One of the most important points of
concern surfacing during the group discussions was
the unfamiliarity with their own SH management systems – such as the VIB’s – related to legal or
regulatory requirements on substances,” Van Driel says. “It was also indicated that there seems to
be less focus on health compared to the focus on safety. Health issues seems to be further from our
mind because the consequences don’t become visible immediately – that could take many years.”
38
Support
However, the importance of health risk awareness related to working with dangerous substances was
recognized by the works council representatives, Van Driel and Weenink say. “One of the works council
representatives indicated that his works council is not sufficiently aware of the role the works council
should play in reviewing a substances RI&E. Other works council representatives admitted they should
pursue this more vigorously.”
Solutions
“Improvement measures” was also an item on the
agenda. “Due to the fact that we didn’t quite proceed
according to planning, we weren’t able to discuss the
measures for improvement,” Van Driel says. “I’ve sent
an email to all participants asking them to submit
their suggestions for improvement on the shop floor
or suggestions for industry wide initiatives on that
subject.” They can only get a clear picture of how keen
the works councils are on the subject when they get a substantial number of respondents sending in
suggestions for improvement. All reactions are welcome, please email to [email protected].
39EXPOSURE TO DANGEROUS SUBSTANCES
The man on the shop floorFinally, Weenink says that HSElife UNIO also presented itself at the event.
“HSElife UNIO, presented by Pier van Spronsen, plays an important role
in creating more health risk awareness in the man on the shop floor. For
example: on the HSElife UNIO website there is a lot of information to be
found on dangerous substances and how to handle them. This helps the
man on the shop floor to limit any health risk.”
for industry, by industry
HSElife is a forum for those working in the oil and gas industry.HSElife focuses particularly on those working wherever HSE is really an issueor really should be an issue: on the shop floor.
HSElife magazine is published by:The WAT Group B.V.P.O. Box 237380 AA KlarenbeekThe Netherlands+31 6 462 95 25 6 (7, 8)
www.thewatgroup.com On this issue workedThera Idema, Marjou Janse, Marcel van Spronsen, Veselin Raznatovic, Pier van Spronsen, Stéphanie van Stockum, Janine IJssel de Schepper, Bob Janssen, Marc van Baasbank, Evelien Brascamp, Joost Michelhoff, Bert Abbas, Jan van Driel, Roel van de Lint,Agnes Voorintholt, Lisenka van der Wilt, Yvonne Hoddenbach, Theo Kruithof,Cees van Oosterom, Gert Jan Windhorst, Jelto Terpstra, Victor Bouman, Lex Bruinhof, Hans Weenink, Piet van Dam and the Members of the HSElife UNIO Steering group: Ronald Pijtak, Jan Jager, Ton van Swaal, Sander Floore, John van Schie, Alexander van der Zee, Gerard Burgers, Frits van der Wilt, Ronny Ali, Jurgen Joosten, Ben Waardenburg,Emanuele Gemelli, Anne Hendrikson, Rik van der Zee en Marc Kloppenburg.
Please e-mail any comments about subjects discussed in this magazine [email protected] attn. Janine Ijssel de Schepper.
Articles may not be taken from this publication within the meaning of Article 15 of the Netherlands Copyright Act.;© The WAT Group B.V. 2014
