Petrotechnics and UTT will select and train local Trinidadians in general operational safety protocols as well as its own operational safety courses. This will form the basis for a self-sufficient, sustainable and cost effective delivery model for oil and gas organisations in the local area.

It is believed that by enabling local accredited safety training instructors, UTT could help operators in the region to save up to 40% on current operational safety training costs.

Once completed, UTT will be accredited to deliver Petrotechnics’ courses and the university will undergo annual reaccreditation of its training and facilities to ensure that high standards are maintained in the delivery of the courses

A groundbreaking programme, it represents the first time Petrotechnics has accredited a third party organisation to deliver its services and is the first step in wider strategy to develop accredited centres across the globe with the first four graduates of the programme expected in the summer of next year.

In addition to attaining qualifications to deliver the HITRA (Hazard Identification and Task Risk Assesment) and ISSOW (Intergrated Safe System of Work), graduates will be invited to return and train the next generation in operational safety creating sustainability in the area.

Although courses and graduates will be available any company in the region, BP Trinidad and Tobago have a long-term relationship with both Petrotechnics and UTT, and has already committed to have its operational safety training delivered by UTT once its trainers have been accredited by Petrotechnics, which is expected to be December 2012.

Speaking of the partnership, Petrotechnics’ executive vice president Iain Mackay, said: “The partnership with the University of Trinidad and Tobago will create a legacy of self-sufficient training in the region. By helping jumpstart and create an effective training environment, we will transfer our significant skills and knowledge to the local population allowing them manage and deliver a comprehensive safety training program to offshore workers.

“With more than 10 years of experience in delivering training, we are using this to short cut some of the usual challenges in developing and deploying new training facilities.  Working with BP Trinindad and Tobago, we have both been able to work with UTT to understand the challenges of relying on support and training from long distances and through our strong relationship we have been able to deliver an effective course for the region.”

The course is designed to improve competencies and create common understanding across those responsible for work control and the ultimate aim of mitigating risk. As a result of Petrotechnics’ experience in increasing operational efficiency and improving safety in the riskiest part of operations, the company was asked by Oil and Gas Industry ISSOW (Integrated Safe Systems of Work) User Group members to develop and run an OPITO approved course.

The one-day instructor led course is designed to give personnel responsible for the control of work at oil and gas installations and sites in the North Sea upstream oil and gas industry the generic skills, knowledge, understanding and behaviours required to carry out the role safely and effectively. Delivered in four modules, the training covers; an introduction to control of work, task risk assessment, controlling work activities, handover work suspension and completion and will conclude with a final assessment.

Petrotechnics can deliver the course at any mutually agreed premises anywhere in the world. The first course took place at the end of October.

John Broomfield, product support manager at Petrotechnics, said: “More than 85% of operations staff in the North Sea have experienced other Petrotechnics’ control of work training and following a rigorous six-month certification process, we are now able to provide the industry with an OPITO approved course. This Control of Work Training for Performing Authorities is designed to deliver a richer and enduring learning experience to provide the basic skill set, which enables personnel to perform confidently in the field”.

“Our control of work instructors have a minimum of ten years’ of experience and provide a more relevant and rewarding training experience, to ensure the content is understood and assessed effectively. It offers companies the ability to train in the internationally recognised control of work behavioural standards and market leading hands on practical tools such as Sentinel PRO® and Proscient.”

Ian Close, operations support superintendent at Apache North Sea Limited, said: “As part of its endless quest to improve safety standards, Apache North Sea were eager to trial the new OPITO Control of Work for Performing Authority training standard. Working closely with Petrotechnics, Apache was determined to take this training to the workforce, rather than vice versa, and hosted two experienced Petrotechnics trainers on Forties Delta for a seven day period, at the end of October 2012. 

“Thanks to a lot of hard work by all involved, a total of 70 candidates were put through the course and assessed successfully. Feedback from delegates has been extremely positive, demonstrating that the OPITO standard has delivered a valuable new tool to the industry and proving that, with the right operator commitment and facilities provided, Petrotechnics can deliver this training to a very high standard in an offshore environment." 

Petrotechnics has been an active member of the Oil and Gas Industry ISSOW User Group since it was formed in 2007. The group was originally established by STEP Change in Safety and is now operated by UKCS upstream oil and gas operators.

The incidences of major oil spills and international crises in the oil and gas sector has caused a dramatic shift in attitudes to managing operational risks, an industry expert has said today, with executives now seriously questioning their approaches to risk management and its impact on commercial and operational performance.

Iain Mackay, Executive Vice President of Petrotechnics, said that oil and gas operators are now becoming more proactive in gaining a greater insight and assurance over operational performance and risk, as stakeholder expectations continue to grow.

“There is increasing recognition across the oil and gas industry that serious incidents can be the result of a combination of factors and events,” said Mackay, a headline speaker at the 8th Annual HSE Forum in Energy, taking place from 8-10 October at the Doha Grand Hyatt Hotel.

“Many of the existing Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) control systems used by the energy sector are unable to manage multiple points of activity and their associated risk.  Organisations now need to consider the elements that contribute to cumulative risk and how data can be used to analyse and predict this risk.”

According to the 2011 Ernst & Young report, ‘Oil and Gas Business Risks’ which lists the top ten largest threats to industry organisations’ business performance, HSE risks were included for the first time, taking fifth position, with analysts expecting them to climb further.

At the core of HSE, Mackay said that any organisation operating in hazardous industries such as oil & gas must consider three primary elements; the plant, the people, and the interaction between the people and the plant.

He added: “The interaction of people with the plant equals a key area of operating risk representing millions of man hours per year for the typical organisation; thousands of people every day routinely intervene in plant operations to do repair and maintenance work. The intervention of plant operations results in the introduction of new hazards, inhibiting safety systems, isolating parts of the plant and interfering with standard operating procedures.”

“It’s not surprising then that the biggest operational risk occurs when people interact with the plant.  This interaction is the leading cause of High Potential Incidences (HiPo), the second leading cause of fatalities and a significant contributing factor in process safety incidents.”

Tackling this issue head on, Petrotechnics is launching their latest Operational Performance and Predictive Risk software platform in the Gulf region at the HSE Forum in Energy.

Called Proscient, the software provides senior management in the oil and gas sector the ability to reduce risk, optimise performance and drive continuous improvement across their global operations.

Mackay will demonstrate at the forum how Proscient can mitigate onsite operational risk by capturing valuable data and intelligently embedding corporate, regional and local HSE policies and processes ensuring they are consistently delivered in frontline practice.

He continued: “Some companies in the oil and gas industry are still failing to realise the importance of investment into the systems and processes that will enable them to collect the kind of data that allow for a change of operational practice.”

“Historically, organisations have had to reactively ‘juggle’ risk in order to maintain performance and production. With the visibility that Proscient delivers, organisations can utilise valuable frontline data to proactively balance work activities with operational risk.   For the first time, senior executives can start to understand the relationship between performance and risk and proactively manage the organisation to less risky and more optimised performance.”
“The HSE Forum in Energy will provide a valuable opportunity for experts focused on these issues to discuss experiences, best practices and insights into best operational performance.  We believe that Proscient and our experience should form a key part of addressing this challenge.”

Held under the patronage of H.E. Dr. Mohammed Bin Saleh Al-Sada, Minister of Energy & Industry and Chairman of Qatar Petroleum, the 8th Annual HSE Forum in Energy will host more than 45 regional and international HSE experts to discuss HSE best practice and operational excellence.

The dedicated industry conference and exhibition will put a spotlight on the latest developments and technological solutions essential to ensuring the effective health and safety management and sustainable environmental practices in the energy sector.

The two-day conference in Doha will feature 30 presentations, two panel discussions and five hours of networking sessions, before culminating with four half-day post conference workshops on the final day.

Headline speakers include Saad Al Kubaisi, Corporate HSE Manager at Qatar Petroleum, Dr. Osama Ibrahim, Chief Medical Officer, QatarGas Operating Company, Brett Doherty, SHE Group Manager, RasGas Company Limited, Pamela Norman, Senior Advisor, Safety Health & Environment, ExxonMobil, and Teresa Budworth, Chief Executive of NEBOSH.

The 8th Annual HSE Forum in Energy is supported by Qatar Petroleum, and organised by Fleming Gulf.  Gold Sponsors include Dolphin Energy and Industrial Scientific, while ChemSafe, Petrotechnics, Ras Laffan Industrial City, and SHEields are on board as Silver Sponsors.

The workshop, which is the first of its kind, will give delegates an understanding of how frontline data can be used to develop predictive risk trends and facilitate proactive management of risk and its cumulative effects.

Recent high profile incidents across the oil and gas sector have changed attitudes to operational risk across all hazardous industries. Stakeholder expectation of operational performance is rising exponentially as the personal, professional and corporate cost of these incidents continues to be felt months later.

Iain explained, “The interaction of people with the plant is the greatest area of operational risk and uncertainty. It is also the biggest area of HiPOs (high potential incidents), a major contributor of fatalities and a factor in almost every process safety incident,”

In order to reduce risk and optimize performance in this critical area, operators can use Petrotechnics’ Proscient operational performance and predictive risk capabilities and ensure that people and plant interactions are fully governed by common embedded and automated processes. In this way frontline workers generate and collect valuable frontline data, which provides consistent insights as to the effectiveness of policy and rules whilst at the same time supporting the production of common risk metrics. Ultimately organizations can connect policy to practice and ensure the adherence to company standards whilst managing down risk.

“Following a very successful workshop at last year’s event, we were eager to participate once again in the debate and share our own observations and knowledge on this increasingly vital area. This year delegates will be able to work with real frontline data and Proscient to uncover the cumulative risk effect and its potential impact before seeing a real-time demonstration of managing cumulative risk with a combination of safe work planning, safe work control and operational risk management.” 

The 8th Annual HSE Forum in Energy will put a spotlight on the latest developments and technological solutions essential to ensuring the effective health and safety management and sustainable environmental practices in the energy sector.  The forum will provide the platform for executives focused on HSE issues to meet and share knowledge, which will enable organizations to achieve business goals without compromising HSE.

“The theme of this year’s event is ‘Investing in Knowledge’; we feel that Petrotechnics’ experiences and the capabilities of Proscient are particularly well aligned with this signature.”

The work, on behalf of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo*) and Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC**), is the second phase of a project in which the system was previously implemented on the Bonga FPSO. One of Petrotechnics' largest FPSO projects to date, Bonga, situated 120km from the Niger Delta coast, is the height of a 12-storey building and the equivalent of three soccer pitches in length.

In delivering an education programme capable of maintaining a self-sustaining environment in West Africa post-implementation, Petrotechnics has worked with several local partners to create a comprehensive and effective collection of training packages for employees.

Iain Mackay, executive vice president at Petrotechnics, said: “As a region, West Africa is home to some of the world’s most prolific reserves, often located in increasingly challenging frontiers, such as the deepwater fields offshore West Africa.

“Despite frequent and substantial new activity however, the region is not without its challenges. Given the uncertain and sometimes testing operating environments, there is an even greater onus on companies to optimise resources, standardise processes and deliver faster turnarounds. Combined with the growing emphasis on managing operational risk and increasing stakeholder expectations, operators and contractors are consistently looking at how they can improve both performance and operational risk management (ORM).

“Sentinel PRO® incorporates over 10 years of our global experience of business process transformation and effective work activity management.”

Sentinel PRO® enables operators to proactively manage and control frontline day-to-day activity. Users are provided with the ability to easily link electronically external references, supplementary procedures and carry out audits of work permits in one process, significantly reducing non-productive time. A single application addresses all aspects of permit creation including risk assessment, isolation control and lessons learned from previous work. By intelligently embedding and automating these frontline work processes into field practice, it helps to drive operational efficiencies and improve safety management.

Petrotechnics has continued to innovate in the management of operational risk with the recent release of Proscient, its Operational Performance and Predictive Risk enterprise software platform. Leading the way in the provision of operational risk management tools for operational leaders at every point in the enterprise structure, Proscient offers the ability to understand the relationship between performance and risk and to act proactively on that insight to improve productivity and efficiency without compromising people or plant safety. It was designed based on an abstraction of the needs and requirements of the Oil & Gas Industry and other hazardous industries.  Proscient is an evolutionary change which builds upon the market leading Sentinel PRO®, to deliver a smarter, more efficient toolset which encompasses all aspects of Safe work control, delivers them on an enterprise level with business intelligence capabilities such as predictive risk, governance reporting and the ability to drive continuous improvement from frontline work data that was never utilised before in Sentinel PRO®. Proscient means that for the first time senior executives can to proactively manage their organisations to a less risky and more optimised performance based on real world frontline data.

Mr Neill will address a critical gap in operations by offering insights into managing PSM by linking it with day to day frontline operations. Frontline operations regularly intervenes with PSM rules breaking down the barriers that are meant to keep the plant operationally safe and increases the levels of operational risk. His presentation will highlight new approach and how it can improve operational discipline by providing increased process hazard visibility, integrate these hazards into cumulative risk profiles and capture information on plant conditions that deviate away from standard operating conditions as they impact frontline operations. 

To ensure that organizations can address these challenges and proactively manage risk down, Mr Neill will demonstrate how an awareness and understanding of frontline work and cumulative risk can help firms view the potential impact of multiple and combined risk factors such as type of work, volume of work, status and interaction of work on operations. He will explain how next generation technology is able to generate cumulative risk profiles into leading indicators, providing true line of sight to the frontline, empowering senior management with better decision making in order to reduce risk, optimize operations and drive continuous improvement.

Mike Neill said: “Petrotechnics was founded with a purpose of keeping people safe and this new approach addresses a PSM blindspot and a critical gap that needs to be managed. We believe we have a unique perspective on operational risk management and have been helping organizations across the globe improve their operational discipline with our technology systems for more than twelve years ensuring they can optimize performance while at the same time reducing operational risk”.

“As a dedicated member of CCPS we are committed to promoting safety and best practice around key operational issues. CCPS is expanding its best practices into upstream industries and is using our experience and client network to help achieve this. Together we have a common objective - to help industries operate more safely”, Neil added.

Petrotechnics successfully delivered a CCPS bootcamp earlier this year and its involvement in this conference is part of the firm’s goal of promoting best practice and safety across Latin America energy sector.

Louisa Nara, technical director at the Center of Chemical Process Safety said: “CCPS is a non-profit organisation, with 152 member companies who work together on a global basis with a common goal – eliminating process incidents in all industries. We do this by bringing the best process safety knowledge and practices to industry, academia, the government and public around the world.  The 4th Latin American Conference is one of the ways in which we advance process knowledge, culture and management practices. We are very excited about the upcoming conference and look forward to working with our colleagues IPB, Petrobras and companies like Petrotechnics on a successful event.”
 

The conference, part of the week-long World National Oil Companies Congress, provides executive level decision makers the opportunity to meet with each other, and to debate and understand what their peers and partners are doing to develop and improve upon risk management strategies and solutions. It provides an open forum and valuable debate centered on imperatives such as the creation of a risk awareness culture, the development of enterprise risk management programmes and steps that can be taken to better identify, prioritise, manage and monitor risk. As these issues are on-going challenges at the highest levels across the oil and gas industry, the conference provides an unparalleled line up of speakers from companies such as Statoil, CNOOC, Total, Petrobras, BP, ConocoPhillips and many others.

“With stakeholder expectations of operational performance in the oil and gas industry ever increasing, operational risk management is a board level challenge.  There are many events that cover the challenges that the industry faces, but the World NOC Risk Congress in particular is unique because it focuses specifically on risk issues at every level - enterprise, operational, political, reputational and contractual”, said Phil Murray, chief executive officer of Petrotechnics.

In addition to chairing the conference, Mr. Murray will deliver a presentation at the event entitled, “Successfully Establishing Line of Sight on the Cumulative Risk of Your Frontline Day to Day Operations” on Thursday 21st June, where he will talk about how organisations can understand and develop new leading indicators of operational risk management in the riskiest part of your operations.  He will also join senior representatives from Statoil, Chevron and Petrobras in a panel discussion on, “How can NOCs Realise the Potential of Arctic and Deepwater Oil Resources?” at the World National Oil Companies Congress on Wednesday 20th June.

“We believe we have a unique perspective on operational risk management to offer to the industry and specifically to NOC’s based on our experience over the past 12 years of pioneering, proving and successfully delivering technology solutions to oil and gas organisations helping improve their operations and safety while reducing operational risk. The launch of our Operational Performance and Predictive Risk platform, Proscient, at the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston last month provides senior management with the ability to reduce risk, optimise performance, drive continuous improvement and move beyond compliance across their global frontline operations. For the first time, operational leaders can start to understand the relationship between performance and risk and proactively manage the organisation to a less risky and more optimised performance”, Murray added.