A Drilling Company Asks For a New Safety Manual But Gets Much More

The Challenge:​

The company had an outdated 5-volume safety manual and a very stagnant Behavioral Based Safety system, after a systems audit of the rigs it was found the safety manual was rarely used as people were operating on memory and just using forms, the same with Behavioral Based Safety (BBS) cards, these were being filled out with no safety intervention by personnel. Our initial challenge was to give the company Safety Management System (SMS) Manual a facelift, so that the crews could read and understand it without needing a lawyer. Our second challenge was engaging the expatriate and local workforce in a behavioral based safety system that was easy to use by the crews, provided a tool for intervention and results available at the corporate office.

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The Solution:​

After a series of meetings with Equilibria to explain what we had or did not have, Equilibria suggested we do a rewrite of the SMS Manual to simplify the language, and at the same time condense it. Equilibria also provided us with the E-Colors and iCU systems integrated within the SMS along with the coaching and excellent support to roll the systems out onshore and offshore. With the scan system, the shore-based locations could log in and view the iCU results online.

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Results Obtained:​

We now have an SMS Manual that is well-used on board. Due to the user-friendly layout, it is utilized as a point of reference at safety meetings and pre tour meetings. More importantly, we now have a workforce that is focused on safety; who understand what intervention is and how to exercise their Stop Work authority. The system has also provided a tool to mesh cross cultural boundaries and to truly work as a team.