Abstract Since conducting a global review of drilling safety in 2001, BP has been focusing on methods of improving the HSE leadership competencies of its wellsite and other operational leaders. BP has started working with Enterprise Development Network (edn) to achieve that goal. Edn's generic methodology focuses on developing a greater understanding of the organization's safety vision and values, exploring and experiencing leadership, team behaviours and skills necessary to achieve safe work outcomes and having participants develop an action plan that is revisited shortly after workshop attendance. BP has taken that a step further and jointly developed (with edn) an HSE Leadership Development Center that includes BP specific context to assist operational leaders in really understanding what it means to be a leader in HSE in BP. It also provides specific, focused feedback for each participant. Two programs have been conducted as of November 2003. Initial feedback from participants is very positive.
Introduction There is a general consensus in the industry that to improve safety outcomes, a need exists to focus on improving the integrity of work processes, assuring the management of these processes through the development of safety management systems. In the past few years a focus has developed on people and their behaviour in relation to the use of such systems in working individually or in groups safely.
Efforts in these areas have shown undeniable and demonstrable success in safety outcomes. In many respects, they are easy to design and measure in terms of their contribution to safety. For example, redesigning equipment to make it safer, redesigning maintenance processes to ensure that equipment does not break down, or designing a risk hazard analysis work procedure.
On the other hand programs designed to change behaviour to improve safety are far more difficult to design and to measure their effectiveness. Nevertheless, there is an abundance of behaviour-based safety improvement initiatives currently in operation within the industry and/or on offer to the industry.
Those concerned about safety in the industry and who are interested in such programs face many challenges. These can be summarized as: knowing which programs to choose, creating an environment within the organization that is conducive to implementation, and evaluating program success.
This paper will focus on these challenges and provide case study information, which is indicative of their relative success.
Safety Performance and Leadership within BP BP conducted a global review of safety within their drilling and wells operations in 2001. One of the most significant findings that the Review Team delivered was:BP site leaders are our most visible safety leaders. Site leadership is inconsistent and support of site leadership is inconsistent.
Since then, we realized that while we were asking our wellsite leaders to be leaders in safety, we were not providing them with proper training and coaching to be effective in this aspect of their job. They wanted to be leaders in safety, as they were in their operational roles, but did not know exactly how to go about it or what exactly good safety leadership looked like.
In a review of BP's 2002 High Potential incidents in drilling and completion activities, the following four most common root causes were identified:Poor safety leadership - Safety expectations not communicated, enforced or audited to ensure compliance.
Unsafe individual behaviours or rule violations - Poor judgment or breaking of the rules indicative of high tolerance of risk (either underestimate impact of hazard or don't think it will happen to them). Complacency in routine tasks.