Attensi has developed a game-based ‘safety simulator’ for Equinor. The solution underpins a training program with realistic 3D scenarios. The program is a component of Equinor’s ‘Always Safe’ professional development initiative for its workforce of over 21,000 employees in 30 countries. More from Attensi.
Blackline Safety has announced the ‘largest ever’ order from the
non-US/EU region from one of the world’s largest energy and
petrochemical companies located in the Middle East. The $1 million
lifetime value order is for Blackline’s cloud-connected,
location-enabled G7 safety wearables and G7 EXO portable area gas
monitors. More from Blackline.
The US Chemical Safety Board (CSD) has released its final report and video of the 2018 Cenovus/Husky Superior refinery fire. The report found deficiencies in Husky’s turnaround procedures and lack of process knowledge that lead to the explosion and fire. CSB Chairperson Steve Owens said, ‘Refineries with FCC units, including especially those with hydrofluoric acid alkylation units, should review our report thoroughly and ensure that they have the necessary safeguards in place to prevent a similar disaster from occurring at their facilities during shutdowns and startups. This accident could have been avoided.’
Another recent CSB report contains a safety alert on the potential hazards of emergency discharges from pressure release valves. The alert advises facilities that while a discharge from emergency pressure-relief systems can protect equipment from unexpected high-pressure events, it can also seriously harm or fatally injure workers and cause extensive damage to a facility if the discharge is not made to a safe location. The report enumerates four incidents which variously resulted in injuries, explosion and/or the release of toxic substances.
IOGP Report 2022su, ‘Safety data reporting user guide – Scope and definitions’ covers global safety incident data from members since 1985. Data is recorded in the IOGP safety database, the ‘largest database of safety incident statistics in the industry’. Scope covers worldwide E&P activities, onshore and offshore, for both operators and contractors. Data is consolidated and analyzed in terms of the frequency and severity of events by region, country, function and company. Other recent IOGP safety-related publications of note include a revised Recommended Practice on key (safety) performance indicators (IOGP Report 456 V3) and Process Safety Fundamentals. The latter are designed to support front-line staff in preventing situations that have historically resulted in process safety events.
An Insight Report from Intelex covers seven leading indicators that can drive safety improvement. The report explains how to establish leading (predictive) metrics for process safety process and how they can be used to drive improvement. A benchmark study of universal metrics conducted by Predictive Solutions is also available.
A new white paper from Moore Industries provides a brief introduction to intrinsic (IS) safety, the different components in an intrinsically-safe system and the different types of barriers. Additionally the paper outlines why selecting an ‘associated apparatus’ as the safety barrier provides the most economic and effective use of IS technology. The techniques outlined in this paper are applicable to the industrial process control sector in oil and gas production, refining and others.
The US Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has just announced availability of some $25 million of grant funding through its pipeline and hazardous materials safety programs. These grants are for projects that will train first responders, strengthen safety programs, improve safety, reduce environmental impacts and educate the public on local safety initiatives. Notice of the funding opportunities can be found here. More too from Phmsa.
Teledyne Gas and Flame Detection has unveiled the Spyglass SG50-F series of flame detectors with updated optics, algorithms and HD video in either color or near-infrared. Color video is said to be effective in detecting fuel fires like gasoline and jet fuel, while the near-infrared video option can detect fires caused by other fuels such as hydrogen and methanol. More from TeledyneGFD.
OEUK and Oil Spill Response Ltd. (OSRL) have initiated a framework
to help companies respond quickly to an offshore oil spill. The ‘UK
mutual aid framework agreement’ (UK MAFA) will facilitate mutual aid of
personnel between UK operators in the event of a sustained incident
response. More from OEUK.
A blog from Ken Scott and Bushnell of the US National institute for occupational safety and health (Niosh) reports from a recent meeting of the oil and gas extraction sector council of the National occupational research agenda where health and safety professionals shared how industry-wide labor force trends were impacting their work. The insightful report shows inter alia how downturns in oil and gas affect contracted employees far more that operators. In 2020, when oil and gas employment plummeted, the operator headcount was down by 8% while employment among contractors dropped by 33%. Contractors have higher rates of fatal motor vehicle crashes, fatal falls at work and total workplace fatalities. Contractor employees have reported longer shifts, longer average commutes and higher levels of exposure to various chemicals than operator employees. Since the ‘depths’ of 2020, hiring has begun again in the oil and gas industry in a competitive job market. New hires are likely to be young and relatively inexperience with again, a significant difference between operators and contractors. Read the full blog post here.
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