Process Safety: Programme Initiation: Oil & Gas
The Situation
Our client was the upstream arm of a UK Gas business with both on and offshore gas installations in the UK and 3 other countries (NL, Norway and Canada). Triggered by changes across the industry since Macondo/ Deep Water Horizon incident, the company was keen to improve its performance in Process Safety. A respected leader from within the business had been selected to carry out the role of Head of Process Safety and to develop a programme of improvements to Process Safety in a time of low oil prices and budgetary pressure.
The Approach
Senior leaders had developed a series of discrete initiatives to enhance process safety as an immediate response to known issues. We deployed a Programme Manager to support the Head of Process Safety and we quickly realised that there was a requirement to improve delivery and governance of the "in train" initiatives, as well as to plan and budget for the subsequent years of activity. We developed a Process Safety Programme Board to ensure that additional resources and priority were given to the programme. We also identified the absence of a baseline on which performance improvement could be objectively judged. In collaboration with the business units we developed and rolled out a Process Safety Self Assessment for all their assets, based upon the American Petroleum Institute (API) Process Safety Model. Once the programme and the plan for the subsequent years was stable, we recruited and handed over to a permanent Programme Manager from the client's staff.
The Outcome
The Process Safety Self Assessment data was used successfully to shape the programme and to justify additional Capex and Opex expenditure in subsequent years. The programme plans were successfully integrated into business unit targets and plans for the subsequent year. The business still has to respond to Process Safety Incidents (mainly Tiers 2 and 3), however the link between Process Safety improvement and the reduction in incidents has been established. This will be a multi year surge activity followed by a perpetual focus on disciplined production.
Our client was the upstream arm of a UK Gas business with both on and offshore gas installations in the UK and 3 other countries (NL, Norway and Canada). Triggered by changes across the industry since Macondo/ Deep Water Horizon incident, the company was keen to improve its performance in Process Safety. A respected leader from within the business had been selected to carry out the role of Head of Process Safety and to develop a programme of improvements to Process Safety in a time of low oil prices and budgetary pressure.
The Approach
Senior leaders had developed a series of discrete initiatives to enhance process safety as an immediate response to known issues. We deployed a Programme Manager to support the Head of Process Safety and we quickly realised that there was a requirement to improve delivery and governance of the "in train" initiatives, as well as to plan and budget for the subsequent years of activity. We developed a Process Safety Programme Board to ensure that additional resources and priority were given to the programme. We also identified the absence of a baseline on which performance improvement could be objectively judged. In collaboration with the business units we developed and rolled out a Process Safety Self Assessment for all their assets, based upon the American Petroleum Institute (API) Process Safety Model. Once the programme and the plan for the subsequent years was stable, we recruited and handed over to a permanent Programme Manager from the client's staff.
The Outcome
The Process Safety Self Assessment data was used successfully to shape the programme and to justify additional Capex and Opex expenditure in subsequent years. The programme plans were successfully integrated into business unit targets and plans for the subsequent year. The business still has to respond to Process Safety Incidents (mainly Tiers 2 and 3), however the link between Process Safety improvement and the reduction in incidents has been established. This will be a multi year surge activity followed by a perpetual focus on disciplined production.
