Audit of human and organisational factors in well control
The Deepwater Horizon blowout in 2010 was a salutary reminder to the worldwide offshore industry of the need for exemplary standards of well control. Although that disaster happened thousands of miles away from Europe, the lessons from it are just as applicable for operators and drilling contractors in the North Sea.
The North Sea Offshore Authorities Forum (NSOAF) was therefore anxious that any findings from that disaster in the Gulf of Mexico be incorporated into the practices of those working under their jurisdictions. Although it is clear that considerable effort has been paid by the industry to address the operability of blowout preventers and the need for capping stacks for subsea wells, human and organisational factors have been identified as being equally influential in well control.
As a result, NSOAF carried out a multi-national audit to look at how offshore operators and drilling contractors in the North Sea were incorporating the wide range of necessary human and organisational factors into their well control systems. Eleven separate audits were undertaken in Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Norway and the UK during 2012/2013.
The NSOAF Human and organisational factors in well control audit report provides a snapshot of well control standards across the North Sea, with clear identification of good and poor practices. NSOAF therefore commends this report to the North Sea offshore industry, and asks that operators, their drilling contractors and their trade organisations take time to consider the various findings and to seek ways to implement the various good practices wider.
NSOAF national regulators will seek opportunities to discuss the findings with their own national industry forums to ensure lessons learned about these crucial aspects of well control can be taken forward.
Audit of supervision
Supervision is a critical management function within companies and a key element in effective risk control and management of health and safety. Historical accident data has shown that poor or inadequate supervision was considered to be a significant factor in accident causation both for individual and major hazard risk.
The NSOAF multi-national audit project 'Supervision' was carried out during the period 2008 to early 2009 in Denmark, Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom by national audit teams. Thirteen offshore production installations were visited, involving 8 operators. After the completion of the offshore visits, interviews with onshore senior line management were conducted. The final audit report reflects the findings from the offshore visits and meetings with onshore senior managers.
HSE shared the Supervision audit report findings with the offshore industry so they could take the following actions:
- discuss the report main findings and audit follow-up initiatives throughout their organisations
- facilitate lateral learning between their own organisation or business and others so that supervision best practice is widely shared
- ensure adequate management and supervisory knowledge of safety barriers in their organisations in order to minimise the risk of serious occupational and major hazard accidents
- for the North Sea area trade associations to contribute in the industry wide follow-up initiatives such as facilitating the development of a 'toolkit for worksite visits' and the promulgation of audit findings at offshore workforce events and through their various publications and websites