11
WINTER EDITION
HEALTH, SAFETY & ENVIRONMENT MAGAZINE for Oil & Gas industry
Q4 2013
winterising taking preventive action
Each winter, the cold, snow, ice and hail make it a challenge to work safely. page 16
In this issue:
2
4
9
WOULD YOU MIND...
CONTRACTOR HSE MINI-FORUM
10
22
27
SAFETY AWARENESS
CAPPING A WELL AS A...
A REMARKABLE EXERCISE
LOW-COST SOLUTIONS
and more....
2
“WOULD YOU
M
MIND
3
Foreword
TAKING A LOOK AT THIS FOR ME?” Suppose you have written a report or, for instance, a proposal. Before submitting the document, you often send it to some colleagues for a review. In many cases, these colleagues make alterations in your document. We sometimes refer to this as “territorial spraying”. Is that good or bad?
TERRITORIAL BEHAVIOR All animals, humans included, identify their territory. Many animals, like dogs, mark their territory by leaving scent marks. It is their way of saying : stay out of here, this is my territory. This is where the expression “territorial spraying” comes from. People have all kinds of ways to identify their territory. Just watch people on the train or at the library. Where do they leave their stuff? Close by or spread all over, so that you can’t get close to them? Another example: some people leave their beach towel on the beach, in order to prevent other people to occupy that spot. Or, a meadow with a big fence around it. Or an alarm system in your car. Or, in the situation we’re talking about in this article, making alterations in a document written by someone else. Thus indicating: I know better, I am the expert, this is my territory. I am the boss. This can be quite annoying, especially when the alterations don’t improve the content of the report or proposal. In such cases it is you who has to confront the other person, it is you who has to defend your territory! COOPERATION There can also be other reasons for you to ask your colleagues to review the document. Sometimes you ask them because you’re not completely certain or because you want these colleagues to check for any omissions. Usually, it is a good thing to gather input from different people. It is a way of cooperating in order to achieve the best possible result. Another reason to ask your colleagues to review your document and to add their suggestions is that by doing this, the document becomes the result of a team effort. This way, responsibility for the content is being shared, and you make sure that your colleagues agree with it. And sometimes, you need your manager’s approval which in most cases means that he will make his own alterations. But that is logical, because in that case he is responsible. In short: “territorial spraying” is usually a good thing, because you get a better result. It is a way of cooperating in order to achieve synergy. But, unfortunately, in some cases it is nothing short of territorial behavior! On behalf of THE WAT GROUP Pier van Spronsen
4
“Zero incidents and injuries with both our employees and our contractors is our goal.’
CONTRACTOR
HEALTH, ENVIRONMENT AND SA
MINI-
5
We interviewed Martijn ter Haar and Sander Aalbrecht about the Contractor Health, Environment and Safety Mini Forum, organized by Chevron on 9 April 2013. Sander Aalbrecht is Procurement Supervisor at Chevron Exploration and Production Netherlands B.V. (Chevron) and Martijn ter Haar is Lead Environmental Specialist with Chevron. Both are closely involved in the execution of Chevron’s Contractor Health, Environment and Safety (CHESM) process.
AFETY MANAGEMENT
-FORUM
6
CONTRACTOR HEALTH, ENVIRONMENT AND SAFETY MANAGEMENT MINI-FORUM
Mini-forum Sander: “This was the first time we organized a CHESM Mini Forum for our contractors. In the past we already organized a CHESM Forum, to which we invited a large group of contractors. To this Mini Forum, we invited a smaller number of contractors – those who execute activities with an enhanced risk. The Forum does not only contribute to achieving below mentioned CHESM goals, but it also contributes to intensifying the relationships with and between Chevron and contractor personnel.”
CHESM purpose Sander: “The purpose of the Contractor Health, Environment and Safety Management process is to establish clear accountabilities, ensure active engagement of contractors, and provide a consistent CHESM program to eliminate health, environment and safety (HES) incidents and injuries among Chevron and contractors. At the forum, we explained the CHESM purpose and process to senior Health, Environment and Safety and senior management representatives of contractor companies. Organization of the CHESM Mini Forum contributes in an interactive way to the realization of the CHESM goals. Another, important purpose of CHESM is to formally record competence (knowledge and skills) requirements. We informed the contractors with the projects they can expect next year and with the competences we require them to assure in order to be able to professionally and –above all- safely execute those projects. With the contractors, we agreed that they will be responsible for the deployment of personnel who are adequately equipped to perform the project. By sharing this information contractors will be better prepared and able to ensure availability of the required knowledge and skills for the envisaged projects.”
CONTRACTOR HEALTH, ENVIRONMENT AND SAFETY MANAGEMENT MINI-FORUM
Piper Alpha Disaster Martijn: “For the CHESM Mini Forum, we composed an agenda consisting of a number of presentations, a video show and some interactive moments. One of the subjects was the Piper Alpha Disaster that happened 25 years ago. We showed a video documentary about this disaster which occurred in the British sector of the North Sea. The video is titled “Spiral to Disaster” in order to highlight all the things that went wrong prior to the disaster, and to show various safety procedure changes that were implemented in the complete North Sea offshore industry during the years thereafter. Conclusions and lessons learned were that -in order to prevent these kinds of accidents- strict agreements, communications and measures to ensure that procedures are followed are extremely important.”
Energy Wheel Martijn: “We want to encourage people to be alert to hazards and to recognize these. It is important that both our contractors and Chevron personnel are aware. To underline this aspect at the Forum, we demonstrated the Energy Wheel, also known as The Chevron Hazard Identification Tool. The Hazard Identification Tool is a visual tool, helping its users to identify energy sources and its associated potential hazards. Each segment represents an energy source that one can encounter during jobs, such as mechanical, electrical, pressure or radiation energy sources. For every offshore job, one can use the Energy Wheel to check which hazards could be present.”
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CONTRACTOR HEALTH, ENVIRONMENT AND SAFETY MANAGEMENT MINI-FORUM
Harmonization Martijn: “Within Chevron, the safety campaign I’m Committed to Always is run. Always is the central theme in Chevron’s Tenets of Operation –the rules of thumb for working safely-, where “There is Always Time to Do it Right” is the main principle. So there is always time to execute a task safely and to identify energy sources and associated potential hazards by using for example the Energy Wheel. People should not be driven by time pressure and before starting the work they should make an inventory of potential hazards. We want to assure that both Chevron and contractor personnel apply the Tenets of Operation. The thought behind it is to work incident-free.” “Our contractors indicated that Chevron’s way of working is similar to other operators, and that it would be convenient when certain procedures would be harmonized. During the Forum we therefore also presented HSElife UNIO, with information panels, brochures and a video presentation. The contractors are happy with the effort of several Dutch Oil and Gas Operators who are trying to harmonize standard operating procedures, through HSElife UNIO. There were some critical remarks though on some of the harmonized processes. We encouraged contractors to put forward their suggestions on improvement, especially on safety issues. And that is what they have done.”
Interaction Sander: “In our opinion, interaction with contractors is very important. We don’t want to be too directive in telling people what to do. We assume that the contractors themselves are equipped with the necessary knowledge, maybe even more so than Chevron does, and that they share their knowledge with their fellow contractors. Further improvements in this process are certainly necessary. It is rather a challenge to share information, because some contractors may be mutual competitors, but when it comes to safety and “Zero Incidents”, such reservations should be put aside. Our next CHESM Forum might present a good opportunity to encourage the interaction with our contractors in order to enhance safety.”
9
LOW-COST SOLUTIONS: AN INVISIBLE THREAT TO HSE?
Due to the weak economic climate, many Dutch organizations are under a lot of pressure to reduce costs. Prices are under scrutiny. We scrutinize the price of products and services. Our performance has to be the same, but faster and for a lower budget. So everything has to be cheaper, because everything is more expensive. Does this put us in a vicious circle, because everybody in the chain has to score? Does this unbalance the relation between costs and quality? Is lowering the standard for specific personnel competences advantageous? Does it influence the quality of the man on the shop floor in a negative way? Does it put the quality of labor and productivity at risk? Is it realistic to address the man on the shop floor on this issue? Are we taking the risk of not having the right man in the right place? What will happen if the man on the shop floor literally speaks “ another language”? Does this lead to a subconsciously breaking of the HSE rules we have agreed upon? Does it lead to mistakes being made? Could it result in dangerous situations? Does it increase the risk of incidents occurring? Does it lead to our safety being at risk? And when accidents happen, is it because “ you get what you pay for” ? Are we brave enough to ask ourselves how these accidents could happen? How much do we actually value our safety? In short: are low-cost solutions an invisible threat to HSE? Pier van Spronsen
10
SAFETY AWA Rineke Louws is a Safety Expert at
Cofely GDF SUEZ HSE Department. She tells us about her role in improving human safety and health awareness and behavior: “To me, it is a challenge to make people safety aware. Working safely needs to become a second nature.�
ARENESS
11
12
SAFETY AWARENESS
I SHOW MY COMMITMENT AND THEREFORE GAIN THEIR TRUST AND THEY TREAT ME WITH RESPECT.
“I work at Office and Onshore locations within the petrochemical industry. Here, personnel labor conditions are paramount. Currently, I’m working on a Shell project at an Onshore location – a basic oil plant. Cofely has a contract with a number of Operators to do all their maintenance work, you see. It is my job to coordinate all matters concerning safety, health and environment. For instance, I walk around the plant to check if all workers follow safety procedure. If they don’t, I will confront them. I get along well with the men. I feel completely at home. I can feel that I have a positive influence on them. Remarkably enough, I can get things done easily.”
COMMITMENT “It cuts both ways. I talk to the men about what they do and why they do it. I show my commitment and therefore gain their trust and they treat me with respect. But there are also moments when I have to use my authority, when I have to be strong and determined. For me, this is not a problem, I do this because it is necessary for their safety. It has everything to do with a professional attitude, due to which I can confront people with their behavior.”
HEAVY PHYSICAL WORK “Those men do heavy physical work. Women wanting to work in such a profession should realize this,” says Rineke. “Obviously, there is a physical difference between men and women. However, this doesn’t mean everything because for instance, there is a female welder working in the factory. And besides that, I work together with another female safety expert. I’m working long hours which can sometimes be pretty demanding.”
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SAFETY AWARENESS
PROJECTS “Before they start working on a project, such as the Shell maintenance project, I train our people first. During the training, they receive specific information on the project. On dangerous substances for example, and on the personal protection equipment they will have to use. But also on the safety measures they have to take and on the sanctions policy for not following procedure. After that, we visit the plant and they get their safety pass and basic protection gear. Then, the project manager takes over.”
AT THE OFFICE “When working at the office, I compose HSE policy. For instance, I make A&M plans. In these plans, we describe our view on safety. How we regard safety and the level of education we demand of our professionals. But also our view on how to wear personal protection gear, on which personal protection equipment is required for the various kinds of activity and on how we implement our sanctions policy. Furthermore, I write gate instructions, instructions on how to work with dangerous substances and risk inventories and evaluations. Last but not least, we are busy developing a new kind of green safety passport. We do this together with Deltalinqs. Recently, we initiated a pilot together with Deltalinqs.”
LIKE FATHER, LIKE DAUGHTER “My father used to work as a safety expert at Botlek. He was my inspirator for the next step in my career. I trained to be a Safety Advisor, did my traineeship at Cofely’s and got hired there afterwards.”
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The
R in the month:
TIME TO ADD VITAMINS TO YOUR DIET?
The summer lies behind us now and the letter “R” is in the month once again. As per usual, this indicates that our internal vitamin depot needs to be refilled. Every year, we family doctors are amazed about the clever sales fairy tales told by the industry to get the consumer to take their pills and powders. We will gladly use this forum to point the way in vitamin land. Vitamins play an important role in the smooth running of our internal processes. Vitamins are not being consumed and therefore we don’t need them in large quantities. However, we are not able to make them ourselves. We get our vitamins from our surroundings and our nutrition. In this article, we will tell you about the most important must haves…
Machteld Smit-Bogchelman
Gijs Smit
huisarts
huisarts
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Vitamin A
Vitamin C
Retinol, or Vitamin A is important to the building of the smallest arteries and therefore for the health of all our cells. It is therefore good for your skin, your hair and gums and it prevents night blindness. Ladies: vitamin A is also a good remedy against wrinkles, although the dosage found in creams is often so low that the effect is negligible. Disappointing. Vitamin A is present in red meat, liver, dairy products, fish and egg yolk. Vitamin A is being added in margarine. Liver is the richest natural source. Plants contain beta-carotene which the human body converts to vitamin A. It can also be found in vegetables and in yellow or orange fruit.
Many of us may recall the stories of the distant past. Seamen dying of scurvy: vitamin C shortage. Vitamin C is important for a good resilience. Furthermore, it keeps our bones, teeth, skin and arteries healthy. Vitamin C is an antioxidant and it protects the body against free radicals. Free radicals play a role in the aging process. Vitamin C does not protect against bladder infection. A too high intake could affect the kidney function. In this case, cranberries are a better alternative.
Vitamin B In the old days, it was thought that only one vitamin B existed. Now we know that there are several kinds that depend on each other in order to do their work. We highlight the two most important kinds.
Vitamin B1 B1 takes care of the incineration of carbohydrates, thus supplying our body with energy. It also plays a role in the conduction of nerve stimuli. B1 shortage results in fatigue, depression and lack of appetite. Too much alcohol intake can reduce B1 absorption, resulting in severe forgetfulness. Your family doctor can prescribe vitamin B1 in order to prevent or cure these symptoms.
Vitamin B12 Vitamin B12 is only found in animal source foods, such as meat and dairy products. Among others, it is needed for the production of red blood cells and for a properly functioning nerve system. B12 shortage can lead to anemia and memory issues. In some cases, it is necessary to supplement vitamin B12 through medication.
Vitamin D The main vitamin D source is the sunlight. Animal source foods also provide vitamin D, but in very low quantity. The exception to this rule are fat rich fish, such as eel, salmon and mackerel. Vitamin D is being added to margarine, low fat margarine and frying products. Vitamin D shortage is very common. Especially in older people who don’t go out much. Shortage may lead to osteoporosis. Shortage of this vitamin also seems to be related to the origin of certain kinds of cancer, hart and artery disease and diabetes. The absorption of vitamins through our food is generally sufficient. In most cases, supplements are therefore not necessary. However, it is important to be alert to vitamin D shortage. Therefore, our advice is: take the older people into the sun every now and then, and feed them a nice fat “Hollandse nieuwe” herring. And speaking about the sun… We family doctors prefer strongly a good dose of vitamin V from time to time. Yes… take a nice rest and renew your energy on Vacation!
16
Are you ready for
winter
Each winter, the cold, snow, ice and hail make it a challenge
to work safely. Anticipating the rough weather, installations need to be prepared and man needs to adapt. In this article, we give you a number of tips to help you to keep on working safely during wintertime and, obviously, to arrive at work and get home again unharmed!
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During wintertime, it is even more important to embrace safety, health and environment – be it at work or during leisure time. The weather conditions change. In order to drive safely, we will not only have to make some adjustments to our vehicle but we also need to adjust our driving conduct. In last year’s HSElife Magazine winter issue, we specifically highlighted the subject of driving safely during winter months. Do you remember the tips we gave? Later in this article, we summarize the most important ones for you. In order to be able to guarantee the safety of our employees and of the oil and gas production during winter, we also need to prepare all our operational locations so that they can withstand winter conditions. We sometimes refer to this as “winterising”. These special measures are being taken from November through March.
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ARE YOU READY FOR WINTER?
WINTERISING When winterising, a number of preventive measures are being taken on location. By taking these measures timely – before winter is really upon us – installation and equipment related problems due to the cold and ice can be prevented. Thanks to these measures, installations and equipment can keep on functioning well despite below zero outside temperatures and production loss on location during frost periods can be prevented. Heat Tracing and insulation of all installations and wells need to be scrutinized and inspected. Specifically, the presence of all necessary insulation needs to be checked along with possible damaged or missing protective plating that may lead to crevices. Moreover, the Heat Tracing system needs to be checked – the system preventing certain substances in pipelines, storage tanks, pumps and instruments to coagulate. The Maintenance Department will report their findings along with possible installation shortcomings to the Operations Supervisor who will subsequently act on them. For any installation alterations, extensions or adjustments, a work order application to execute repairs needs to be presented in time because repairs need to be finished before winter begins.
CHECKING At outside temperatures lower than minus 2 degrees Celsius, regular checks need to be performed along with the preparation and prevention activities. I.e. inventorying and if necessary stock supplies on the various locations. Moreover, measures need to be taken in order to prevent frosting of installations and equipment.
ARE YOU READY FOR WINTER?
Specifically: • Checking and if necessary replenish Glycol anti freeze • Checking for the presence of insulation and any insulation damage • Turning on and checking of the Heat Tracing system Apart from potential frost threat to installations, the winter weather may cause slipperiness both onshore and offshore. For employee protection, it is important to be alert to this and take countermeasures if necessary. For the onshore locations, slipperiness countermeasures contracts are being re-activated during winter months. By putting slipperiness countermeasures in place early at locations and access roads, we make sure that our locations remain accessible during winter weather. Moreover, the installations and equipment on location remain accessible to personnel while protecting their safety and the safety of the installations as well as possible. When these measures are taken, the installation is ready for winter. Are you as well?
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ARE YOU READY FOR WINTER?
SAFETY ON THE ROAD In order to be able to work safely, you obviously need to get to work safely first. During winter months you need to be extra careful on the road. Due to snow, ice or heavy wind gusts, chaos may occur on the road. We would like to direct your attention to the most important tips helping you to manage the risk of driving under winter conditions as well as can be expected:
ARE YOU READY FOR WINTER?
A good preparation is the main aspect of driving safely under winter conditions. Plan your trip carefully and consider its necessity. When you go on your way, always take warm clothes with you and make sure your passengers are also well prepared. Prepare your vehicle for the winter conditions on the road. Before you start your trip, clean the windscreen, headlights and mirrors of your vehicle. Wax the door rubbers to prevent them from freezing. During frost conditions, don’t use the handbrake so you prevent it from freezing – just put it in P or in reverse. When driving in frost or snow conditions, first defrost the windshields and remove all snow because snow may blow off thus causing potential danger to traffic behind you. Then get in the car, start the ignition and drive away carefully. Immediately turn on the blower as hot as possible, aiming it at the windscreen. Use the airco in order to clear the windows. Don’t start driving before you have a clear view because most accidents happen within the first five minutes due to obscured view. Keep track of weather forecasts and traffic information. At high risk weather conditions such as glazed frost, drifting snow or wind gusts, KNMI will issue warnings. These warnings vary from code yellow (hazardous weather) to code orange (extreme weather) to code red (weather alarm). If extreme weather conditions occur, a Weather and Traffic Alarm may be issued. On KNMI website you can find what these codes exactly mean. On the road, keep your distance and adapt your speed to view and weather conditions. A car may start to slip and slide if its speed is too high related to the current conditions. Do everything carefully: accelerate with caution, handle the clutch with care and don’t steer to sharply when taking a bend. It is a wise idea to put on winter tires in order to get an optimal grip on snow, ice and wet roads at a temperature below 7 degrees Celsius. Compared to summer tires, winter tires are made of softer rubber and have a deeper profile with a large quantity of slats. You could compromise on all season tires. The winter tire extra grip offers a wider safety margin – not a free pass to drive faster at more slippery conditions. When there’s snow on the road, be aware of snowplaning – the winter equivalent of aquaplaning. When there’s too much snow pulp on the road your vehicle may start “floating” when you’re driving too fast. If that happens, try to stay calm, DO NOT steer and release the acceleration slowly. You will regain your road grip. Want to prevent snowplaning? Drive next to the tracks and slush pools and adapt your speed. During this time of year, the low position of the sun combined with a dirty windscreen and road glittering may cause an obscured view. Make sure you have a good pair of sunglasses (don’t keep them in your car because the glasses will mist over when stepping in the cold car) and sufficient windscreen wiper fluid in the reservoir. Also be aware of sudden wind gusts, for example after overtaking a truck. When getting in the car wearing a thick winter coat, pull the safety belts tight. In case of a collision, the pretensioners make sure you are being pushed into your seat preventing your head from being too close to the airbag steering wheel. The airbag and pretensioners are working together in harmony but the pretensioners miss their effect if the belt lies loosely against your coat.
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“For Oranje-Nassau Energie, I form an important barrier when it comes to preventing emergencies. Either we work safely, or we do not work at all. And we make everything safe before starting work,� says Joan Horbeek. He is employed as the Drilling Manager of Oranje-Nassau Energie BV (ONE). He was also the Source Control Manager in the Emergency Response Team during the annual NOREX exercise, which was organised by ONE on May 8th this year.
CAPPING AS A MILITARY OPERATION
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G A WELL
NOREX 2013
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CAPPING A WELL AS A MILITARY OPERATION > NOREX 2013
“During the Macondo blow-out in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, oil from the well far below the surface of the water spurted uncontrolled into the sea just above the seabed. It was almost impossible to stop. In the light of the accident, State Supervision of Mines (SSM) asked whether the same thing could happen in the Netherlands. The oil and gas industry said not, but why not? On what was their answer based?” “The NOREX exercise has been held every year since 2011 in order to demonstrate that the drilling industry in the Netherlands is safe. GdF Suez was the first to show how they would deal with an offshore emergency involving a blow-out, and in 2012 it was the turn of NAM. Large companies like GdF Suez and NAM have people all over the world who can be flown in to assist when a disaster occurs. This year, SSM wanted to see how a small company would tackle a major offshore emergency. As a result our COO, Theo Bergers, offered to have the NOREX 2013 exercise take place at ONE.”
EMERGENCY RESPONSE “The exercise began early in the morning with a supply ship which, because of problems with its dynamic positioning system, collided against the platform drilling well. The casing was damaged, and gas started to flow out under the waterline. In a disaster of this kind, our first priority is to get everyone to safety, as well as to immediately call Wild Well Control. Obviously, we have already drawn up the Source Control Emergency Response Plan (SCERP) with them beforehand, in which various scenarios are described as to how we, as a company, deal with an emergency.” “While the people are evacuated by helicopter from the platform, firefightingvessels sail from Den Helder to the location in order to keep everything wet in the vicinity of the uncontrolled flow of gas, and thereby preventing a fire. The coastguard is asked to enforce a no-go area of one thousand metres around the platform, instead of the usual five hundred metres, in order to keep all non-essential shipping, aircraft, helicopters, tourists, etc. outside the area. Once everyone has been brought to safety, the focus shifts completely to the leaking well subsea. The task now is to regroup, to inspect the site, to clear the debris, to kill the well under construction, to cap it, and to drill a relief well.”
CAPPING A WELL AS A MILITARY OPERATION > NOREX 2013
COOPERATION “To be able to resolve this situation, you have to restructure your existing organisation and immediately set up your Emergency Response Team, with a new working structure. The existing Drilling Team organisation is set aside. I now become the Source Control Manager. I have to resolve the technical part of this disaster. Below me are four teams: 1) the Relief Well Team, for drilling the relief well, 2) the Engineering Team, for structural investigation and engineering support, 3) the SIMOPS Team, for logistics and for secure lines of communication, and 4) the Well Containment Team, which has the task of capping the well together with Wild Well Control.”
“The head of the ERT organisation is Theo Bergers. He is responsible for all external communications, and for ensuring that it is clear and unambiguous.” “My team is completely ringfenced, so that we can concentrate fully on resolving the technical emergency without any external distractions or influences. With major emergencies of this kind, it is crucial to involve the help of other people in the industry. The necessary arrangements have all been made in advance. During the exercise, for example, we worked alongside people from Noble Drilling, GdF Suez, and Peterson SNS Pool, amongst others. These are people we know and trust, and with whom we have built up long-term relationships. The four team leaders report to me every few hours, and I draw up a daily report for Theo Bergers. During the exercise, the four also provided constant updates to me, observed by those present in the large meeting area on our 8th floor. The whole exercise was attended by representatives from SSM, the Dutch Coastguard, and other government bodies, as well as people from the whole of the oil and gas industry. There were around one hundred people in total.”
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CAPPING A WELL AS A MILITARY OPERATION > NOREX 2013
RELIEF WELL “In the NOREX exercises involving GdF Suez and the NAM, there was no actual simulation of the capping of the well. However, we did do so, at the request of SSM. During the exercise, an ROV first went down to record both the damage to the well and the construction itself. While the debris was being removed, we borrowed a rig from GdF Suez for the drilling of the relief well, while all the necessary equipment for capping the well under construction was flown in by Wild Well Control from Houston.” “Under water, the old bent over casing was sawn off up to the point where it was vertical. The various layers of the pipe were then cut open and the cement chiselled away, leaving a so-called wedding cake construction. It was then possible to place a cap over this, which was eventually closed off by an ROV in order to stop the gas from escaping. The drilling of the relief well was then completed; the relief well had to intersect with the original well at a depth of some three kilometres. The original well is then killed by filling it with mud and cement via the relief well. Once the original well is filled with heavy mud and or cement, the well is under control, the well is killed.”
MILITARY TEAM “My task was to present this entire process as if it were for real and to show everyone present that in an emergency, ONE takes its responsibilities seriously and does not simply shift them onto the government. Inspector General Jan de Jong of SSM afterwards compared us to a military team – a kind of task force. In his word of thanks, he said that the bar had now been set very high for the company that would be carrying out next year’s NOREX exercise! I would also like to mention that everything I have discussed is public. I am happy to share my advice with others, because when it comes to safety, there are no barriers.”
A
NOREX 2013
REMARKABLE EXERCISE
WITH NEW AMBITIONS “In many ways, NOREX 2013 - following NOREX 2011 and 2012 - was a remarkable exercise. The teamwork between the public and private sector, the relatively short but effective preparation, and the complex organisation made this exercise ‘one of a kind’, and for me it was very instructive,” says Joost Michelhoff. As a trainer and coordinator of the Emergency Response discipline, he works at AdviSafe Risk Management. During the table-top part of the exercise as exercise coordinator he was responsible for the implementation of the script and the simulation of the scenario.
“The NOREX 2013 exercise program consisted of two
“The second part of the exercise was partly prepared
parts: in the morning, there was an interactive table-top
by Wild Well Control and led by ONE’s Joan Horbeek .
session aimed at bringing the offshore employees to safety,
The two parts of the exercise were different as far as
followed in the afternoon by a well capping workshop.
working method and character were concerned, but
In view of the fact that AdviSafe has organised all the
linked nonetheless because the scenario continued into
exercises since the start of Oranje-Nassau Energie (ONE),
the afternoon. The intensive cooperation made the
we were asked to support this unique exercise. Together
preparation for this combined and ambitious exercise
with the NOREX working group, the design and details of
program very interesting.”
the exercise were worked out. This group is a partnership between governments and production companies.”
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NOREX 2013
A REMARKABLE EXERCISE WITH NEW AMBITIONS
“What also made NOREX 2013 special was that together with the working group ,the exercise was organised and facilitated by ONE, a relatively small organisation. The modest size of the organisation implies that it sometimes depends on the cooperation of its fellow operators and service companies. It was good to see how this cooperation between these organisations manifested itself during the preparation and execution of the exercise. Once again, it became clear that crisis management equals network management!” “The role play setting was very professional, thanks to the team effort on the part of specialists from Noble Drilling, GdF Suez, TAQA Energy, ONE, the Dutch Coastguard, the Municipality, and - among others - my AdviSafe colleagues,. The Coastguard helped make possible a realistic simulation of the escalating emergency by making its back-up Communication and Coordination Centre in Den Helder available to us. Even when the Coastguard had to deal with an actual incident, it was still possible for the exercise to continue.”
“It became clear: crisis management equals network management!“
“The main challenge during the table-top session concerned exchanging information and coordinating crisis communication between parties involved. A sufficient number of learning points emerged during the exercise from which the organisations will be able to benefit in the future.”
INCIDENT
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FREE OPERATIONS BY HARMONIZING RULES AND REGULATIONS REGULATIONS
HARMONIZATION OF RULES AND
DEVELOPING STANDARDS SHARING HSE-IINFORMATION
REDUCING THE NUMBER OF INCIDENTS
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HSE LIFE
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REMOTE
EFFICIENCY VISION Remote Cooperation Interface BEING ABLE ANYTIME TO DIGITALLY LOOK AT A COMPLETE LOCATION, PERFORM MEASUREMENTS AND PLAN NECESSARY REPAIRS IMMEDIATELY. THE NEW CO-OP VISION INTERFACE SYSTEM ENABLES US TO DO THIS. CO-OP VISION CAN SAVE THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY TENS OF THOUSANDS OF EUROS EVERY YEAR THANKS TO A MORE EFFICIENT WAY OF COMMUNICATING RESULTING IN FEWER HELICOPTER FLIGHTS. Co-op Vision is the first result of HSElife UNIO LAB Thinktank. The LAB has been founded by the WAT Group in order to think of new future oriented solutions for the Oil and Gas Industry. In line with HSElife UNIO, the LAB focuses on themes such as safety, health, well-being and the environment.
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REMOTE EFFICIENCY
HSElife UNIO LAB took the initiative to develop Co-op Vision as means to a more efficient way of consulting and communicating, for example by reducing the number of helicopter flights to onshore and offshore locations. Sometimes the reason for such flights is relatively insignificant, such as deck measurement for scaffolding to be placed or the calculation of a platform’s number of square meters. All this can now be digitally done from a distance, using Co-op Vision.
PANORAMIC VIEW Co-op Vision is a Remote Cooperation Interface based on a 360˚ remote view. The program has been built using 360˚ panoramic images of Oil and Gas Industry locations. These locations can be both onshore and offshore, varying from office to production locations. The panoramic images have been made especially for Co-op Vision from different points of view, thus mapping the total surrounding area. Moreover, all platform measurements and important details including technical installations specifications can be entered into the system and be filed. Co-op Vision allows onshore and offshore employees to view a complete location from behind their computer, anytime. Using a secure login, multiple persons can login from different locations. On the homepage they can make a choice from the locations available within Co-op Vision. In de drop-down menu they can indicate which part of the location they want to see - for example a platform deck - and a panoramic image of that spot will appear on-screen.
VIEWPOINTS All areas –for example, a platform deck or a control room – contain a number of viewpoints. From these viewpoints the panoramic images taken from that viewpoint can be viewed all around. All viewpoints are marked and numbered in the plan visible at the left low corner on-screen. Moreover, the viewpoints are also marked red in the image itself. By clicking a different viewpoint, the corresponding panoramic image will appear on-screen. In the map, a blue circle indicates which viewpoint is active and from which point of view or from which corner the user is viewing the area. Using the arrow keys below in the image, the panoramic image can be turned 360˚ and be moved up and down. During a sideway turn, the blue circle in the map turns with it so that the user always knows which way he is looking in the panoramic image. Apart from this, it is possible to zoom in and out.
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VISION Remote Cooperation Interface Secure login
Communication module
Extra information overlays
Location selector Navigation 2D measurement module
Interactive map
Interactive controls
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TECHNICAL DATA ENTRY The program contains a direct connection between the 3600 panoramic view and the two-dimensional area map. With one mouse click, the area map with the technical drawing including its installations can be projected as an overlay on the image. These building blocks are the base of Co-op Vision. System users have the opportunity to enter and file all area measurements and technical installation specifications – and to update if necessary. Subsequently, this information can be easily summoned in both the two-dimensional and three-dimensional variety. In the panoramic image, circle icons indicate the installations on which more information is available. By clicking these icons, a pop-up window appears describing the installation and its technical specifications. Measurements can immediately be found in the map. Using the main menu on top of the screen, it is possible to switch any moment between the different viewpoints, parts of the location or between locations.
COMMUNICATION Last but not least, Co-op Vision is a system of communication between Operators and Contractors, maintenance, engineering, finance and planning. Using a separate menu on the right of the screen, all users can share real-time information with others as well as send texts or confer by telephone. Using Co-op Vision, anyone can guide others at a different location through the 3 D images and explain technical details. This way, Co-op Vision enables different people from the organisation to join the discussion and participate in decision making. For example, a finance employee is able to make a more accurate calculation of certain activities if he can view the area beforehand. Thanks to its shorter communication lines, Co-op Vision makes the discussion on and preparation of activities much more efficient, more to-the-point and therefore cheaper. Moreover, in many cases Co-op Vision makes expensive helicopter trips unnecessary – thus doubling the saving of costs. For these reasons, the Oil and Gas Industry has shown an interest in Co-op Vision right from the start. The system is currently being built for a number of Centrica locations.
If you’re interested to learn more about Co-op Vision possibilities, contact Pier van Spronsen of The WAT Group, at info@thewatgroup.com
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John van Schie of NAM and Jürgen 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.
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Hi Jürgen, Right, just a quick update to my MoSHE programme blog for HSElife UNIO. We’ve now had the final module block this year. This module was about the SHE toolkit. Time certainly flies. I am starting to feel the pressure. I have to do my very best to combine the busy job I have with my studies, which also keep me busy. We are given tough assignments to do, such as one recently, after the ‘culture and leadership’ module block. We had to write a fifteen-page paper about changing culture in the company. We had to use relevant literature and include proper references.
That gave me a real “Yes!” feeling, whereas normally I would simply sit back and relish the moment. But the assignment itself really appealed to me, although I felt that three weeks was not enough to do it in. All the reading was a real struggle and it was not easy to structure the document properly or to complete it in time. But... I managed it, and passed easily. That gave me a real “Yes!” feeling, whereas normally I would simply sit back and relish the moment. Not that I can do that at present, because I am now busy with the preparations for scientific writing. I think, incidentally, that this is a good way of preparing for writing my thesis, so it’s very useful. Working in small groups, we will shortly have to carry out a genuine consultancy assignment at a company. I am really curious to find out which company I will be going to and what our assignment there will be. The idea is that we give advice to the company which we explain in a presentation. This part of the programme runs until March next year, which is then immediately followed by the final module week. After that, we can concentrate completely on writing our theses. A colleague of mine this week successfully completed his MoSHE programme. Have to say I’m a bit jealous that he has now finished it all. I still have some way to go. On the other hand, when you see how fast the time goes by... Right, it’s time to get on with the scientific writing assignment so that I can finish it before the deadline.
Till the next blog.
John
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Hi John, Are you managing to combine the MoSHE programme with work? I find it a bit tricky sometimes. As I wrote last time, I’m busy when I’m at home, and there is no let-up in my work either. That means that the MoSHE programme sometimes finds itself in third place. Last week, for example, I had to spend a few days offshore for a management visit and a visit from our inspectors. That means that most of your work does not get done. But let’s be honest – the MoSHE programme did help here, first during the management visit. A management visit is where a number of managers from the office go offshore to demonstrate your involvement, to chat with the offshore people who work so hard (you don’t get to see them that often), and to look around the installation. It may or may not be a coincidence, but that is not a million miles away from the course material we studied in the culture week of the MoSHE programme.
It doesn’t make the life of an HSE Manager any easier. A frequency recurring example, of course, is the BP management team that had just left the Deepwater Horizon in Macondo. Hmm, it doesn’t make the life of an HSE Manager any easier. Then there was the visit by the inspectors. I was interested to know what they would look at. To be honest, I have spent time with them during their work before on several occasions, but as the years pass you continue to gain experience. In addition, the course material that we deal with during the lessons helps here as well. Do you find that as well, John? Have you been able to use it a lot during your work? I have to say that I envy you, because you have managed to finish the assignment in time. It’s taken me a bit longer, but I’m very pleased with the result. Do you have any idea what the consultancy assignment is about? Will it take up a lot of time? It looks as though we are going to be busy. As you said yourself, we are first going to have a writing course to help us write our theses better. Yeah, looking forward to it already… No, I’d rather go offshore with the inspectors in that case, and have a look at what they are checking on. Maybe it’s a good idea to share our experiences. I heard recently that we will soon be able to share lessons learned via HSElife UNIO, for each subject. That could be really useful – I hope we can learn from each other’s mistakes that way. You don’t need a MoSHE programme for that. What do you think?
That’s it for now. Have to get on with the assignment.
Can you think of an interesting subject?
See you soon. Jürgen
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for industry, by industry HSElife is a forum for those working in the petroleum and natural gas industry. HSElife focuses particularly on those working wherever HSEW is really an issue or really should be an issue: on the shop floor. HSElife magazine is published by: The WAT Group B.V. P.O. Box 23 7380 AA Klarenbeek The Netherlands +31 6 462 95 25 6 (7, 8) www.thewatgroup.com On this issue worked Thera Idema, Marjou Janse, Marcel van Spronsen, Veselin Raznatovic, Ramon Roelofs, Pier van Spronsen, Stéphanie van Stockum, Janine IJssel de Schepper, Bob Janssen, Marc van Baasbank, Paul Schilperoord, Joost Michelhoff, Machteld Bogchelman, Gijs Smit, John van Schie and the Members of the HSElife UNIO Steering group: Piet van Dam, Ronald Pijtak, Jan Jager, Sietse Wijnstra, Gerard Burgers, Sander Floore, Rik van der Zee, Felicia Wolting, Edwin Harteveld, Frits van der Wilt, Marc Kloppenburg, Ronny Ali, Jürgen Joosten en Ben Waardenburg. Please e-mail any comments about subjects discussed in this magazine to info@thewatgroup.com 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. 2013