The Legend of the Seven CsWhen it comes tosafety, we talk a

lot about the “7Cs”at Step Change in

Safety. They consist-ently show up in varying

degrees when we reviewincidents and accidents

and, rather than thinking ofthem as barriers which

prevent and mitigate accidents,we should see them as vital lines

of defence against failures. If wemanage the “Cs” proactively, they

could well set us up for success.Perhaps the most fundamental of

these for any team, worksite or organisa-tion is culture, or ‘how we do thingsaround here’.The funny thing is that an organisation

can spend huge sums of money trying tocreate culture while ignoring the fact thatit already exists. We can influence it byour actions but we don’t create it. To get asense of the effect we are having, we needto ask ourselves how we influence theculture around us and how does the“team” operate when we’re not there?A common theme is complacency and

not paying attention to a risk. Rememberall of us go into environments with amultitude of potentially risky things that

we can pay attention to. However, we onlyhave a very limited ability to pay attentionto all of them. People pay attention to thething that they feel is the most importantto them. This is often based on their ownidea of what the risks are in each environ-ment. So, can we prevent complacency?An end-to-end control of work process

cannot prevent it but can certainly put theright barriers in place for when we fail torecognise it creeping in. It’s rightfullyimportant to remain focused on conven-tional health and safety risks, after all weare pretty much the best performing MAHindustry in the UK.However, is the cost of this focus on lost

time incidents and total recordableincident frequencies rather than majoraccident hazard risk, that we are missingthe inherent hazards? When controllingour work activities do we really considerall the risks and identify all the events thatcould give rise to an incident?Our brains instinctively conserve energy

by relying on things staying the same, sobeing complacent is easy but changemanagement is hard. We must rememberthat when something new is introducedinto the workplace, an array of newhazards and their associated risks comeinto play. We need to conduct a thoroughanalysis of the proposed change to identify

specific hazards. Our ability to identify andmanage change in the crowd of potentialrisks is a function of the limitations ofhuman attention.Competence underpins safe, reliable

and efficient operations. It is more thanjust training, it’s about managing thehuman risk in your business. We need toconsider competency as an output that isinfluenced by attitudes and demonstratedthrough behaviour. Like culture, it’s not asfixed as you’d imagine. People have baddays, therefore you need plant andprocesses that are capable of handlinghuman error.There are many different types of

communication, and each can be criticalto safety in the workplace. Times wheneffective communication is critical include:toolbox talks, shift hand-overs, betweendifferent functions of an organisation e.g.operations and maintenance, and at timesof high activity e.g. during non-routineactivities, process upsets and emergencies.Finally, have you considered your own

commitment? Do you take personalresponsibility for safety and accidentprevention? What are your personal safetygoals and commitments?Consider the 7Cs and ask yourself, what

is your ongoing commitment to makingyour worksite safer?

A SAFE PAIR OF HANDSOil & Gas UK and Step Change in Safetyannounce Safety Awards finalists P2

RESPONDINGTO A CRISISWhat doescompetencylook like inemergencycraneoperations? P4

PLAYINGMY PARTBuilding theskills toengineerchange P6

www.step

Make Safety Count...Nearly everyr incident or near-miss iscaused by a mistake or oversight in oneor more of the 7Cs - key areas of safetyt .

Is workadequately controlledfrom a safetyperspective?

Are sure safetycritical communication

is mutuallyunderstood and

acted upon?

2. COMPLACENCYWhat is the worstthing that could

happen today? Whatwould do?

Do feel competentto do the job are

asked to do?

How areplaying partin makingworksite safer?

Do feelpressure to maintainproduction or avoidtaking equipmentoffline?

How dorecognise changehas occurred in

job?

Our Joined-up Thinking packs cover these topics.Each pack contains a video, speaker notes and a specialbulletin on each case study.ww .stepchangeinsafety.net/joined-up-thinking-packs

August 2018

2 www.stepchangeinsafety.net/tsnAugust 2018

Showing safepair of handsOil & Gas UK and Step Change in Safetyannounce Safety Awards finalistsOil & Gas UK and Step Change inSafety have announced this year’soutstanding individuals andcompanies going the extra mile toensure safe operations on the UKContinental Shelf.The Offshore Safety Awards

– with Total as principal sponsor– celebrate innovative workpractices and commitment toenhancing safety standards bothonshore and offshore.Les Linklater, Executive

Director with Step Change inSafety, said: “We had an over-whelming response to our call forentries which is a fantasticreflection of our industry’scontinued focus on maintainingsafe operations.“Our judging panel had a strong

field to choose from and I’d like toextend my congratulations to allour finalists for being shortlisted– a fantastic achievement.” Matt

Abraham, who is health, safetyand environment director at Oil &Gas UK, said: “In the 30th yearsince the Piper Alpha disaster,discussions around safety comewith a particular poignancy.“These awards are an impor-

tant part of ensuring we neverlose focus on improving safety inthe UKCS and we never becomecomplacent.“Well done to all our finalists

and we look forward to celebrat-ing their achievements in August.”The finalists will attend an

interactive awards ceremony likeno other at the AberdeenExhibition and Conference Centre(AECC) on Wednesday August 29.They will pitch their safety

initiative directly to attendees,who will get the chance to casttheir vote and ultimately decideon the winners of this year’sawards.

FINALISTSTop workers and firms battle itout in the Offshore Safety AwardsSafety Repsponsored by DragerMartin Barnes, WorleyParsonsWilliam Davidson, NexenPaul Parkes, Wood

Safety Leadershipsponsored by ChevronJames Ellerton, WorleyParsonsCarolyn Smith, Sodexo

Workforce Engagementsponsored by EquinorETAP Safety Reps, BPTheddlethorpe Gas Terminal Team,ConocoPhillips (UK) LimitedBuzzard Offshore Team, Nexen

Innovation in Safetysponsored by Bureau VeritasAmpelmannConocoPhillips (UK) LimitedRigDeluge

Sharing & Learningsponsored by Spirit EnergyJim Brand, Total E&P UK LimitedAlan Dickson and Fiona Fleming, BPProcess Safety Barrier Team,ConocoPhillips (UK) Limited

Operational Integritysponsored by Aker SolutionsMarcin Nazaruk, BPWayne Fletcher, ConocoPhillips (UK) LimitedTAQATo book your place at the event visitoffshoresafetyawards.com

The Offshore Safety Awards celebrate innovative work practicesand commitment to enhancing safety standards both onshoreand offshore

The 7Cs: Commitment

3www.stepchangeinsafety.net/tsn August 2018

Memorial

Minute's silenceheld for PiperAlpha victimsAround 1,000 people attended an Act ofRemembrance for the 167 men who died inthe Piper Alpha tragedy.The service to mark the 30th

anniversary of the disaster was led byReverend Gordon Craig, Chaplain to theOil & Gas Industry and held in the PiperAlpha Memorial Garden in Aberdeen’sHazlehead Park on Friday 6th July.Loved ones and colleagues of those who

died listened as each worker’s name wasread aloud by the Chaplain; DeirdreMichie, CEO, Oil & Gas UK; Chris Flint,Head of Offshore Division, HSE; LesLinklater, Executive Director, Step Changein Safety; Joanna Reynolds, Geophysicist,Graduate of the Year 2017, BP; and SamuelAsh, Mechanical Technician, Apprentice ofthe Year 2017, Nexen.A minute’s silence was then held to

remember the victims.A piper played a poignant lament and

prayers were said before wreaths were laidby Steve Rae, a Piper Alpha survivor and

Trustee of the Pound for Piper Trust;Aberdeen Lord Provost Barney Crockett;Deirdre Michie; Energy Minister PaulWhitehouse and Baroness Goldie for theUK Government.Families, friends and members of the

public then laid the flowers they hadbrought.Reverend Gordon Craig told those

gathered: “Thirty years ago tonight, 167men died in the worst disaster to befall theoil and gas industry.“It was a night that changed many, many

things. For the families at the heart of thetragedy, life would never be the same, asthey were forced to cope without lovedones and the hole that was left in theirlives.”The memorial garden and statue is a

special place for those whose lives havebeen affected by the tragedy, and for the oiland gas industry as a whole. The Pound forPiper Trust continues to provide funding tomaintain the Memorial Gardens. The Act of Remembrance service marked the 30th anniversary of the Piper Alpha disaster

MyVantage applicationto make things simplerfor offshore travellersOffshore travellers throughoutthe UK oil and gas industry arenow able to access personaldetails, trip information andhistory, certificates and otheruseful information from both theindustry and operators, bylogging on to the new MyVantageapplication which was launchedat the beginning of July.The programme, which is a

new application developed fromthe POB management toolVantage, is accessible through amobile web page and can beaccessed through your computer,smartphone or tablet.If the operator you are flying

offshore for has chosen to useMyVantage as part of their flightcheck-in process, travellers willalso have the option to use theonline check-in functioncontained within MyVantage.This enables online access tocheck-in details, resulting in asimplified process at the heliportand a smoother transit to theoffshore destination.The introduction of MyVantage

follows extensive workforce and

user group engagementthroughout 2017. Work ondeveloping MyVantage beganearlier this year with a small testteam, including Nexen, Equinor,Shell, Total and ConocoPhillips.MyVantage also allows the

offshore workforce to easily viewand check their own personalinformation (which is held inVantage), access trip histories,view future bookings and receiveindustry and operatorinformation.Once all online check-in

requirements are complete, andif the operator you are flyingoffshore for is using MyVantagefor the check-in process,travellers will receive a check-inbarcode which, on arrival at theheliport, is presented at thecheck-in desk. This barcode caneither be presented on a mobiledevice such as a smart phone orin a printed version.In addition to this, check-in

staff will be able to see–throughthe Vantage POB for anythingthat has previously been declaredduring the online check-in such

as medication and mobile phones.Passengers will be requested toweigh baggage as usual and thesecurity process will remain as itcurrently is.l MyVantage can be accessed byusing this link: www.myvantage.co.uk/loginl To use MyVantage, you willneed a valid email address storedin Vantage (if in doubt, pleasecontact your company) and youwill also need to have a validVantage ID number.l Travellers can register theiremail on Vantage via the operatorthey directly work for, regularlywork for or are flying with to aplatform.l The email address can beadded or changed in advancewith the operator, at the Heliportor once you have arrived on theplatform.l If as a traveller you are not partof that group then you, as theaffected individual, can contactCollabro on vantagepob@collabro.co.uk using the emailaddress that is going to beregistered in Vantage.

The 7Cs: Change Management

4 www.stepchangeinsafety.net/tsnAugust 2018

An operator adds to his skills using a crane simulator

Respondingto a crisisEmergency crane operationswere one of the main points fordiscussion among Step Changein Safety members who attendedthe recent Lifting Forum.According to Sparrows Group,

a training gap was recentlyidentified by a North Seaoperator which was swiftlyaddressed. In the event of anemergency situation arising dueto the regular crane operatorbecoming incapacitated,training should equipnominated non-crane operatoremployees, provide thecapability to operate a diesel/electro hydraulic crane, make aload safe, and return the cranesafely to its rest or safe parkingposition.So, what does competency

look like in emergency craneoperations?l Lifting operations legislation,industry best practice, and safesystems of work

l Crane pre-start and pre-operational checks andinspectionsl Practical training on pedestalmounted cranesl Basic crane control andco-ordinationl Ability to boom, hoist andslew crane with an acceptablestandard of multi-functioncontrol; good height anddistance judgment and handand eye co-ordinationl Ability to make a load safeunder direction of a Banksmanutilising various load typesl Practical trainingincorporating varyingenvironmental conditions, longline control skills, and staticand dynamic lifting operationsrequired for vesselsl Introduction to a variety ofcrane emergency situations ormechanical failures onSparrows crane simulator totest reaction and responses

The 7Cs: Competency

The 7Cs: Culture

Mental health first aid starts with youMental health and wellbeingof the offshore workforce willcontinue to be a priority areafor our industry.BP and Shell are among

those who have signed up tothe Time to Change campaignaimed at ending mentalhealth discrimination in theworkplace – a move whichwas welcomed by Unitehowever, the union urgedoperators to go a step furtherand work with contractors tomove away from three on,three off shifts.This August and September,

Step Change in Safety isoffering a Mental Health FirstAid (MHFA) course for itsmembers. MHFA is aninternationally recognisedtraining course teachingpeople how to spot the signsand symptoms of mental illhealth and provide help on afirst aid basis.The course, designed by

MHFA England, will not teachparticipants to be a therapistbut, just like physical first aid,it will teach skills to listen,reassure and respond – evenin a crisis.The course will be delivered

by a quality assured instructorand will include a

combination of groupactivities, presentations anddiscussions.The two-day practical skills

and awareness course will giveyou:l A deeper understanding ofmental health and the factorsthat can affect people’swellbeing, including your ownl Practical skills to spot thetriggers and signs of mentalhealth issuesl Confidence to step in,reassure and support a personin distressl Enhanced interpersonalskills, such as non-judgemental listeningKnowledge to help someone

recover their health by guidingthem to appropriate supportThis course is free to all

members however due tolimited availability we willonly accept two bookings percompany. Our intention is tooverbook this course andpriority will be given to SafetyReps.August course: Already fully

booked.

l For more information,please visit www.stepchangeinsafety.net/news-events/eventsThe MHFA course teaches how to spot the signs and symptoms of mental ill health and provide help on a first aid basis

5www.stepchangeinsafety.net/tsn August 2018

FANCY A DATE? Seewww.stepchangeinsafety.net/events for more details7-8 AUG & 5-6 SEP Mental Health First Aid training course14 AUG Major Accident Hazard Understanding – Bowtie lunch & learn28 AUG Train the Trainer – Shoulder Measurement training29 AUG Offshore Safety Awards6 SEP Helicopter Awareness course20 SEP & 29 NOV Lifting forum7 NOV Safety Rep event8 NOV Share Fair

Keeping in touchonline your wayChoose yourchannel!There are many ways you cankeep in contact with StepChange in Safety.Whether you’re interested in

our Safety Moments, the latestJoined Up Thinking or MajorAccident Hazard awarenesspacks, latest industry newsand views, Step Change inSafety events or toolkits,please follow our social mediachannels and don’t miss outon the latest safety initiativeswhich affect your industry.We want to hear from you

too and invite you to give usyour ideas about what sort ofinformation you’d like toreceive more from us in thefuture. Send us a message viaany of our social mediachannels or email us yourideas and thoughts atcomms@stepchangeinsafety.netLet’s face it, social media

isn’t for everyone but that’s

OK because you can alwayskeep up date through ourwebsite: www.stepchangeinsafety.net

Calling all ESRs!Step Change in Safety oftenrun webinars on a Sundayafternoon discussing hottopics across the industry.These webinars are aimed atthe offshore workforce andencourage two-way dialogue.Questions and comments canbe sent into the moderatedpanel.We’ve discussed fatigue,

safety cards being a numbersgame, and what makes agood safety committee.We’re looking to schedule

some more webinars thisyear but would like to hearfrom you. What topics do youwant to discuss? Anysuggestions about guestspeakers?All ideas welcome – please

send them to ESR@stepchangeinsafety.net

The 7Cs: Communication

Clued-up staff best security

Preventing major accidentsoffshore is a relentless job.Although the industry is achievingreductions in HCR releases, theseare a constant risk and we allhave a responsibility to play ourpart in preventing them.As we discussed at Safety 30,

it’s not all about plant andprocess. Having people with theskills, experience and knowledgeto do their job properly and safelyis a key element in making surethe worst doesn’t happen. Andthat’s why competence is one ofStep Change in Safety’s Seven Cs.Competence includes

understanding the risks, and howwe should do our job to make

sure those are controlled. Eachoffshore job has its own risks anda competence framework thatgoes with it. It can mean a lot ofpaperwork, but being able todemonstrate that we arecompetent in our role is not just abox-ticking exercise, and it’s notjust for the benefit of oursupervisor or the OIM or avisiting inspector. It means thatwe can all go offshore and knowthat we’re working with

colleagues at all levels who areboth willing and able to do theirjobs properly.Demonstrating competence

encourages each of us to thinkabout our strengths andweaknesses, and by doing that,encourages us to get better. Itmeans we ask ourselves questionsrather than accept assumptions– do I have the right training todo this? Do I understand thefailure modes of this equipment?Do I know the control of workprocesses on this installation? DoI understand my own limitations,and am I willing to admit them toothers in order to get better?We should be asking ourselves

and each other questions likethese every day and we shouldkeep asking throughout ourcareers to make sure we continueto nurture the skills, experienceand knowledge we need to keepourselves and each other safe.

Matt Abraham

The 7Cs: Competency

Matt AbrahamHealth And SafetyDirector, Oil & Gas UK

Industry Opinion

RegulatingWorkforceEngagementChris FlintHead of OffshoreDivision, HSEThe history of the offshore industryteaches us that the importance ofeffective workforce engagementcannot be overestimated. This wasrecognised at the recent Safety 30event where workforce engagementwas an underlying theme – SafetyRepresentatives and SafetyCommittees are a key element of this.Several key pieces of offshore safety

legislation require operators toengage with the workforce overhealth and safety matters however, itis the Offshore Safety Representativesand Safety Committee Regulations1989 (SI971) which provides theformal framework and sets out

employee representative rights toenable this to happen.For the regulator, inspecting the

legal compliance regarding theinvolvement and engagement ofworkers is an important aspect of theoverall offshore regulatory regime.HSE will soon publish a Worker

Engagement Inspection Guide (IG)which has been trialled in over 30inspections to verify duty holder’scompliance with SI971.Several common themes have been

identified so far during theseinspections:• Failure to train safetyrepresentatives within an acceptabletime frame. Duty holders have theresponsibility to ensure that this isdone with minimal delay duringnormal working time;• Safety Representatives not having

sufficient time to carry out theirfunctions;• Failure to effectively consult withrespect to the development andreview of the Safety Case;• Failure to establish constituenciesof an appropriate geographical orfunctional size; and• Failure to provide SafetyRepresentatives with a summary ofthe key features of the Safety Case.SI971 has been law for almost 30

years and HSE sees compliance withSI971 as an important element of aduty holder’s effective leadership andmanagement of offshore majorhazards. As such, we will take arobust enforcement approach to suchbasic non-compliance when the guideis published.

Chris Flint

The 7Cs: Complacency

6 www.stepchangeinsafety.net/tsnAugust 2018

Playing my part

Mark CowiesonOperations manager, ArcherMark Cowieson served his time as a mechani-cal technician at Sparrows, after which heworked as a hydraulics technician for fouryears.He clearly remembers his first trip offshore,

which was post-Piper Alpha, and he says hefelt very safe as the installation had tempo-rary refuge, inductions and control of worksystems in place.Mark then worked as a hydraulic design

engineer in the drilling sector at MaritimeHydraulics, and also in aftersales.Next he joined a couple of drilling equip-

ment repair manufacturing companies as arepair and overhaul manager before movingto offshore Norway as a hydraulic engineerfor Stena. It was during this time that Markbecame involved with safety issues. Hebecame a safety delegate and the chairmanof the working environment committee,which was made up of safety delegates andemployer reps.From Stena, Mark moved on to SMS Cranes

as a contract support engineer before joiningSmedvig. After working in different roles,during which time the company namechanged several times, he is currently theoperations manager at Archer.

Mark became involved in safety as he felthe was given a voice and always knew he hadthe skills to influence change. His fatherworked in the industry and Mark always saidhe wouldn’t follow in his footsteps – however,that’s exactly what he has done and he feelslucky to have worked with some veryinfluential people who have encouraged himover the years.He has been involved with Step Change in

Safety for over 10 years and encourageseveryone to play their part.Mark lives in Aberdeen with his wife of 20

years and two children. He is a big fan of DIYand has just finished remodelling his kitchen.In his spare time he enjoys walking andregularly plays football. He’s an avid Dons fanand a season ticket holder.

What’s your favourite film?The Shawshank Redemption or Reservoir DogsIf you weren’t doing what you are doing now, whatwould you do?I would sell or install home cinema equipment – Ilove my gadgets.What’s your favourite holiday destination?Florida, because I have spent a lot of time overthere as my parents used to live there. I love thewhole Florida lifestyle.What’s your favourite TV programme?Star Trek

I built the skills toengineer change

Mark is an avid Dons fan

Is it OK to make up a safetycard to make a safety point?An offshore worker wasaccepting an award recentlyfrom his company for the“Best Safety ObservationCard” for the month. He hadstopped someone fromputting a full aerosol into acan crusher on an offshoreinstallation. As he acceptedhis award, he proudly stoodat the lectern, took themicrophone and stated: “Imade this card up.”He had invented the

scenario to prove the pointthat his company wants tomeet safety numbers, andnot quality safety interven-tions. I would say “youcouldn’t make it up” … buthe did.Now, I know this guy was

either very brave, or insane,but he silenced the entireroom. His five words werethe most powerful ones ofthe day, and the messagethat everyone left with washis ‘acceptance speech’.What is more important

– meeting a safety statistic ormeeting a safety standard? Itgot me thinking… was itreally so bad that he made acard up and submitted it?Yes, it wasn’t real but it couldhave been. He had sat in atea shack and was activelythinking about safety andwhat could go wrong. Do youknow what? That’s actually apretty good intervention if itwere to happen.We all know that it

happens – quickly writingsomething because oursupervisor has told us weneed to put a card in. Thispressure, although probablymisplaced, means a group ofpeople are thinking aboutsafety, how things could gowrong or what good lookslike. Is it really so terriblethat these thoughts andconversations are being had,even if they’re fake?Every week in our industry

we have a drill offshorewhich means we have tofollow an emergency

scenario which is entirelyfictional. Don’t get mewrong, I am not, repeat not,encouraging people tofabricate safety cards torush them in. Controversialstatement. I just don’t thinkit’s such a bad thing thatpeople are thinking aboutsafety, discussing scenariosand identifying what couldhappen in their routinework.I was asked whether this

was OK recently and I don’tknow the answer. In fact, Iliked the challenge. Ofcourse, it is not OK tofictionalise it and, of course,it is better for these safetycards to be genuine, but is itOK to actively think aboutsafety? Yes, of course. Is itOK to concoct a scenario tomeet a safety statistic? No,probably not.But is it OK to make up

safety cards which havebeen thought out anddiscussed with the team,even if it didn’t happen?

The 7Cs: Culture

Tales From The Shack

• Pressurised air cylinders used for breathing apparatus werebeing prepared for backloading onshore by strapping to apallet in a container

• One fell, fracturing the valve, causing the cylinder to bepropelled around the container

• The company’s commitment to safety was to change allvalves to a safer type and develop special transportationboxes to reduce the risk of the cylinders being damaged

SAFETY MOMENT

To find out more go to our website and safety momentswww.stepchangeinsafety.net/safer-conversations/safety-alerts

#playyourpart

Commitment

Do you ever look at a situationand see a safer way of doing it? DISCUSS

7www.stepchangeinsafety.net/tsn August 2018

Union opinion

Safety cannot justbe paid lip serviceWullie WallaceUnite the UnionUnfortunately, in 2018 we stillhave occasions when offshoreworkers find themselves NRB’d(not required back). Often thishappens as a result of raisinglegitimate safety concerns orraising issues too often for theoperators’ liking.Workers raising these issuesaround Health and Safety oftenfind there is no more work forthem. The fear of speaking outis another damning indictmentof the culture which still exists.Operators will tell us thatsafety is number one prioritybut our members are stillreluctant to raise genuinesafety concerns for fear ofreprisals.The industry has guidelines fordealing with the removal ofcontractor personnel from anoffshore installation.Unfortunately, they are tooweak to protect the individual.The reasons they fall down are:l Some employers denyknowledge of the guidelines.l Some contractors arereluctant to challenge opera-tors because ‘the client is king’

and they don’t want to risklosing a contract.l Some operators dismissthem as only guidelines so justignore them.Until the unfettered threat ofremoval is taken back fromoffshore management, there isalways going to be reluctancein some areas to stop the job orchallenge unsafe practice. Theindustry has a duty to theworkforce to practice whatthey preach on safety and then,and only then, will workers feelconfident about raisinggenuine issues.

Wullie Wallace

Contributors: Chris Flint (HSE)Matt Abraham (Oil & Gas UK)Wullie Wallace (Unite the Union)Fiona FitzGerald (DNV GL)Richard Bevan(Step Change in Safety)Emma Gracie(Step Change in Safety)Kirstin Gove(Step Change in Safety)Emily Taylor(Step Change in Safety)

We'd love to hear your news and stories.Here's how you can contact us:www.stepchangeinsafety.net/tsneditor@teashacknews.com#playyourpartTea Shack News is produced by Step Change in Safety -a not-for-profit tripartite organisation involving the unions,regulators and industry. It aims to share industry goodpractice and information to help oil and gas industry workersdo their jobs safer. All resources and events are availablefree to its members.

The 7Cs: Control of Work

New Safe WorkingEssentials Tools to belaunched this AugustSafe Working Essentials tools wereintroduced back in 2016. The SWEtools standardised and simplifiedcommon elements of the control ofwork system such as toolbox talks,dynamic risk assessments andsafety observation cards andallowed for a very rapiddevelopment and deployment of astandardised approach. But for thisto continue successfully, furtherindustry buy-in is critical.

SimplifySimplification is a major steptowards collaboration. Theobjective is to standardise, wherepossible, throughout the oil and gassector. This will help eradicate theconfusion and complexitysurrounding safety initiatives. Itwill also eliminate repetition,reduce costs, be more sustainableand, ultimately, help to keep theworkforce safe.

EngageA key aspect of Simplification is toallow the workforce to get on withtheir work quicker and in a safermanner. Simplification is acompelling argument for costefficiency and collaboration.However, difficulties may arisebetween operators and contractorsin choosing one system to use as allmembers have already investedtime and money in their ownsystems. A gap analysis wastherefore conducted to review alloil and gas operator and contractorin-house documents and identifyany overlaps, identify key themesand therefore highlight goodpractice.

SustainTo sustain safe working essentials,there will be a requirement forboth operators and contractors toadopt the toolkit within their localcontrol of work (CoW) processesand share the lessons generated tofeed into a continual improvementnetwork industry-wide.Due to the success of

Simplification it was decided notonly to review the tools in use, butto build on their success.Throughout the oil and gasindustry there are many CoWsystems, all have a similar look andfeel. However, the SWE team atStep Change in Safety has collatedmany different CoW systemfundamentals and through a gapanalysis, has identified goodpractice for a number of CoW coreelements. From there, the team hascombined the good practice into

one set of new SWE tools to enablethe workforce to standardise whatthey do across the North Sea.For the effective delivery of

control of work and completion ofthe task, the following steps wereidentified as key and have beenincorporated into the new revisionof SWE. The tools below are toreplace and simplify what we doand are not intended as an add-onto what workers already do;l Hazard Identification Card(NEW) – visit the worksite andidentify the relevant hazards for thetask in relation to the energysources.l Task Risk Assessment (NEW)– after identifying the hazards,review the mitigations and controlsthat are required to ensure the risksassociated with the task arereduced to As Low As ReasonablyPracticable (ALARP).l Task Instruction (NEW) – theway the task is documented shouldconsider the hazards, risks, controlsand mitigations. It should bewritten so that it outlines not justwhat is required to be undertaken,but also why.l TBT – the delivery of the TBTshould be completed in a mannerthat generates the followingactions; engagement, listening,questioning, confirmation andensures that the team contributewith energy, concentration,commitment and understanding ofthe task. Key to the TBT isconfirmation of understanding ofall team members in their role andthe requirement to stop the job ifthe situation changes at any time.l Dynamic Risk Assessment – at all

times throughout the task the teamshould be monitoring closely forany situation changes that mayrequire the team to stop the taskand review the impact of thechange.l Observation Card – Stop, Think,Act, Review. As we recognise that achange has occurred, the teamshould stop the activity and ensurethey think through the implicationsof the change in the task. Once therisks have been assessed, it may bethat the task has to have furthercontrol measures. These should becommunicated to the team anddocumented on the observationcard.l Task Assurance (NEW) – for tasksthat present the potential forserious injury, a greater level ofassurance can be achieved by TaskAssurance involving a discussionwith the work team about whatthey are doing, mitigations that arein place and why/ how they aredoing it.l After Action Review – the AARallows the team the opportunity toreview the recently completed taskto identify any good practices andlearnings that the team wouldrecommend to the organisation.The AAR learnings should becommunicated by using theObservation card to allow for thecorrect action.Safe Working Essentials has been

in operation for two years and StepChange in Safety is undertaking areview and asking you for feedback.This is a critical process for theworkforce to, once again, takeownership of the tools and ensurethat they are still fit for purpose.

Simplification will help to keep the workforce safe

8 www.stepchangeinsafety.net/tsnAugust 2018

THE BIGBANGTHEORY

Ocean of guidance in the 7CsFrom Piper Alpha to an early bath at the World Cup, these criteria can help avoid disasterWhen my name was drawn from the officesweeper, I held my breath waiting to hearwhich team I was going to get. Brazil and afew of the other favourites still hadn’t beendrawn so I was hoping for the best. I gotGermany. Defending champions; a 4-2-3-1system that works for them; four-timechampions; perennial tournament semi-final-ists and 100% record in qualifying. Yes, thatwould do nicely.Of course, my optimism was short-lived

and Germany crashed out at the group stages,along with my hopes of winning £50. Whathappened to cause this shock result? Theyhad, at least, been expected to make it to thesemi-finals.In 2013, to mark the 25th anniversary of

the Piper Alpha Disaster, Step Change inSafety took a fresh look at the investigationand identified seven root causes thatcontributed to the event – complacency,change management, communication,culture, control of work, commitment andcompetence. In reviewing hundreds of safety

alerts since then, at least one ofthese “7 Cs” has been foundto be a contributingfactor.Perhaps a root-cause

analysis of the firstfour Cs would help toexplain Germany’swoeful performance.Complacency:

The Germans areknown as a “turnie-mannschaft” (tourna-ment team) – aphilosophy that allowsthem to accept somepoorer results in pre-seasonfriendlies in the belief that,when it comes to the tournamentgames, they win. Instead of correctingknown performance issues, they entered theWorld Cup with supreme confidence,underestimating the other teams in theirgroup.

Change Management:Manager Joachim Löwtested out a fresher,younger team, winningthe warm-up tourna-ment, and it looked likehe was set to give theserising superstars thechance to play.However, when thesquad was announced,eight players of the2014 winning team

started in the first 11against Mexico. Löw had

tested the new, younger teambut decided to stick with the

“tried and tested” team evenoverlooking Manchester City’s English

PFA Young Player of the Year Leroy Sane infavour of his elders. Thinking this the safeoption, he failed to identify the residual riskthat these players had rarely worked togetheras a team since the last World Cup.

Communication: The 2018 World Cupsquad comprised of players who were at thetop of their game in their domestic clubs, butthey hadn’t worked much together. Accordingto The Times, there have been suggestionsthat Toni Kroos took a haphazard punt atgoal rather than passing to strategicallybetter-placed team-mate, MarvinPlattenhardt, because he didn’t trust him.Culture: This is a country used to winning.

They’ve won four World Cups and, until theymet Brazil in March this year, had previouslybeen unbeaten for 22 games. When things gowrong, they are not accustomed to having tofix the problem and so things went from badto worse following their opening defeat byMexico.These root causes are common themes both

in football and in our industry. Individualbrilliance is not as good as team excellence– as Messi, Ronaldo and others who had anearly flight home have discovered. So, whenplanning and undertaking your work, bemindful of the 7 Cs and play your part.

Tea Shack News wants to hear your opinions on safety-related issues at yourworkplace. Send your comments and letters to editor@teashacknews.com

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Stories from the shackRunners take offfor charityA charity run with a differencetook place on the runway atAberdeen International Airportwith the aim of landing cash forcharity.The Runway Run, which wasco-sponsored by CHC Helicoptersand Aberdeen InternationalAirport, gave 300 runners a rareopportunity to run on theairport’s runway while raising

funds for three local charities.For safety reasons, the eventtook place at midnight on June30th when the runway was clearof aircraft and illuminated bythe airfield lights, with partici-pants running two entirelengths – a total of 3.5km.Brightly dressed runners tookpart either as individuals in theFun Run or as teams with all thetimes aggregated in the TeamMarathon. Transponder chiptechnology was used to

accurately time each individualwith the results being displayedin the CHC terminal.The run was co-ordinatedbetween airport operationsteams and Aberdeen-based CHChelicopter pilot, Captain RyanBroadhurst who said that therehad been a huge demand fromrunners wishing to take part.More than £38,000 was raisedfor the Sue Ryder, Befriend aChild, and Veterans with Dogscharities.

The Runway Run gave 300 runners a rare opportunity to run on AberdeenInternational Airport's runway while raising funds for local charities