An Engineer's Systematic Approach to Achieving Superior Safety Performances on Drilling Rigs

Abstract

Safety on the rig floor must be addressed habitually to avoid tragic fatalities and environmental crises. The objectives of this study were: (1) creating an engineer's system approach named "" to achieve a superior drilling rig safety performance by changing the Health Safety and Environment (HSE) culture and worksite behavior, (2) ensuring proper engagement and commitment of the workforce from the top to the bottom of the hierarchy and (3) to provide a tool that can be utilized on any rig floor. This tool assists in evaluating the risk from three different perspectives: People, Equipment, and Process (PEP). The research covered surveys of offshore oil companies in the Middle East. A total of 16 sites, which included four jack-ups, eight island rigs, and four service areas (mud and cementing units). The feedbacks from the surveys were used to create a risk model and a risk assessment tool, which evaluates the risk factor of hazards resulting from the interaction between people and equipment. Based on the risk factor value and each survey feedback, an episode is created to deliver a very attractive and methodical safety message for the rig-floor workforce. The crew's safety performance has been monitored on a monthly basis to test the impact on the company's’ HSE performance. The results show that had a significant positive impact. A total of 335 days of an injury-free environment was achieved in 2018 while delivering several wells with a lateral length of 25,000 feet in a total of 66 days. Additionally, the number of incidents was reduced by 85% by the end of 2018. The survey data also show insightful analysis: 50% of the incidents are due to lack of situational awareness; the rig floor equipment that exhibits the highest risk are top drive, iron roughneck, manual tongs, air wench, and lifting gears. The humane factors that indicate the highest risk on the rig floor are people's attitude, awareness, communication, driller's influence, and green hands. The identified opportunity areas of major concern are the Red zone, functional Iron-Roughneck, and regular equipment maintenance. The six by four weeks’ work-leave rotation cycle results in more incidents compared to the four-by-four weeks’ rotation cycle.