• All injuries should be reported to the nearest manager or safety officer. Subsequently, the Manager should determine the next cause of action and treatment options.

• When completing the injury report, it is important to accurately describe the injury events in chronological order without downplaying or embellishing the severity of the injury or the events leading to the injury.

• Information gathered from individuals who do not have firsthand knowledge or information relating to the injury cannot be used in reporting.  The injury report should not contain second or third hand information.

 

• If you are not a trained medical professional, refrain from using diagnostic terms when filling out the injury report. Diagnostic terminology such as sprains, torn ligaments and broken bones should be avoided until after the injured party receives proper medical attention. Descriptions such as “severe pain in lower left leg, individual cannot put pressure onto leg and cannot walk without assistance” can be used in place of “potential broken left leg”. 

 

• Take note of details such as weather conditions, time of day, shift period, sublocation, department and specific hazards in the immediate area.

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• Ensure that any first aid or medical intervention that was provided to the injured party is properly documented. 

 

• Deploy a digital injury reporting application. Managers and safety personnel can file reports using a cell phone or tablet to improve data collection and response times.

Remember, injury reporting is an effective tool for minimizing future injures. In addition, it positively influences safety culture and increases employee communication and participation.

For more information on injury reporting or to learn how Accupoint Software can help streamline your Safety Management program, please contact us today.

Building situational awareness in oil and gas operations has always been vitally important. Without a strong foundation of situational awareness, there can be severe consequences. In fact, 88% of human error can be traced to a lack with situational awareness. Not just that, situational awareness can negatively affect oilfield operations and the ability to project future events.
 
Many offshore installations have the capacity to be hazardous and despite numerous rules and regulations in place to ensure that the risk of accident is kept to a minimum; accidents still occur. Having good situational awareness contributes towards the reduction of accidents. Situational awareness, or SA for short, is vital for when work being carried out is hazardous, or has the potential to be hazardous, as the workers must constantly monitor and evaluate conditions in an attempt to reduce accidents.

• Perception - What information can you see, hear and feel?
  
• Comprehension - stress on equipment, system status and the state of equipment at the pump station.
• Projection - What do you think will happen? Anticipating alarm overrides, changing equipment or watching for leaks.

 
In a nut-shell, situation awareness can support decision making and aid performance. In fact, situation awareness is key to good decision making and safe, efficient performance.
 
Although situation awareness seems relatively easy to comprehend, some people struggle with it. Specifically, 78% of people don’t get the information that is needed. 17% of people do not correctly understand the information they receive and 5% of people don’t project what will happen in future.
 
Situation awareness is important for many factors and is the responsibility of the entire crew. Between us, we can reduce the risk of accidents and ensure a safe working environment for everyone in the gas and oil industry.
 
For more information on how Accupoint Software can help improve your situational awareness, please contact us today.

With the changing landscape of the oil and gas industry, companies are under increasing pressure to improve operational efficiencies as prices continue to remain low and margins are narrowed. In order to reduce costs and improve efficiency, many organizations are adopting a structured quality management system (QMS).

Health & Safety
Due to the hazardous environment that many oil and gas companies operate in, the federal government along with the International Organization for Standardization developed a standard for Process Safety Management procedures and protocols. While this addresses the procedures to prevent major chemical accidents and occupational safety hazards, it is limited in encompassing the operational aspects of the industry.

Primary Objective
The goal, is to develop an oil and gas compliance solution that includes industry best practices for all systems such as service quality, risk assessment, employee training, document control, corrective actions and preventive maintenance. A comprehensive solution may seem difficult for our complex industry; however, incorporating common standards of practice is essential to realizing integrated operational excellence.

Clients and Stakeholders
Both clients and stakeholders, are becoming increasingly demanding regarding the standardization and regulations that those companies they do business with must comply with. As an example, many customers are now requiring that their service supply organizations comply with the API Spec Q2 requirement. Using a system designed specifically for this standard streamlines  the administration and reporting of said requirements.

Increased Collaboration
A quality management system increases efficiency and collaboration. It ensures compliance and provides metrics reporting to prove such compliance. It defines strategies, goals and best practices and the means to secure them.  A good quality management system is, however, only as good as the team behind it. Ensure that policies and procedures are in place that clearly communicate expectations and requirements.

The Bottom Line
Planning and control of critical tasks is required to minimize risks and improve operational efficiency. A comprehensive management solution can connect multiple locations with secure, real-time communications, thus providing instantaneous performance feedback. Furthermore, deployment of  an effective quality management system tells your customers that you are at the top of your class and aiming for the best in products and services, ultimately ensuring customer loyalty through operational efficiency

For more information on how Accupoint Software can help you implement a quality management system specific to your needs, please contact us today.

Preventive maintenance refers to the practice of keeping machinery and equipment up-to-date in order to prevent problems before they occur. Preventive maintenance is important in all types of businesses, but particularly in the petroleum industry.

Both the API Spec Q1 & API Spec Q2 standards require a documented preventive maintenance program, specifically section 5.7.8 in both standards. The goal here is to keep all equipment in working order as a means to minimize risk and improve operational efficiency.

The best practices for preventive maintenance include creating a preventive maintenance plan and carrying out the plan effectively.

Create or Review Your Preventive Maintenance Plan

What are the specific preventive maintenance needs of your facility? Take into account your facility size, types of machines used, and other unique factors. If you don't currently have a plan in place, you will need to create one. Existing plans can benefit from periodic reviews.

Management should agree on a definition of what preventative maintenance means for your facility before you begin creating or revising a plan.

Take an inventory of each machine and its specific maintenance needs. Include both cleaning requirements and upkeep for each machine. Create a schedule for long- and short-term maintenance.

Organize your maintenance schedule using computer software. With so many types of machines with different needs, software can help keep everything organized and easy to keep track of.
Physical observation of machinery will also be necessary. Schedule walk-through examinations of machines by qualified employees.

Keep Employees Informed

Employees need to be aware of the preventive maintenance plan, especially those who will be conducting the inspections  or performing the maintenance. Emphasize the importance of preventive maintenance and its role in your business's continued success.

Keep up with the Plan

Ensure employees carry out the plan by keeping up with inspections, cleaning,  and other periodic maintenance. Software that creates work orders can make sure the preventive maintenance of your facility is implemented smoothly. 

Creating or updating your preventive maintenance plan doesn't have to be difficult and time-consuming. The work you do in advance could save you time and money later on.  To find out how Accupoint Software can help streamline your preventative maintenance plan, contact us.

Keeping your employees safe in the work place should be a top priority. This is especially true in the oil and gas industry.  To that end, today’s post will discuss why HSE management is important and some techniques you can apply to your business plan.
 
Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) involves creating processes for identifying workplace hazards, reducing accidents and minimizing exposure to harmful situations and substances.  This is accomplished by developing detailed operating procedures and then effectively communicating the information to your team. It is important to ensure that the information has been internalized and must be monitored to verify that it is followed.  The main goal is to maintain a safe and productive work environment. 

Why HSE Management is Important

• It prevents your business from being fined for unsafe environments.
• It will help you keep production levels up.
• It protects your company from liability and a bad reputation.
  

How to Get Employees to Comply

Employees must complete hours of training that many people find boring and useless. To keep them interested, you should develop a safety compliance plan that is interactive, interesting, and to-the-point.

• Design the training to help your employees, keeping in mind their backgrounds and what they already know.
• Keep the training session short. Break up the information into several sessions if necessary.
• Use bullet points for large amounts of information.
• Choose carefully which topics you want to cover, to avoid information overload.
• If possible, add humor to your lessons. This will help employees connect on a different level and make the training more enjoyable for everyone.
• Make the trainings available online. This will allow employees to work on it from virtually any location, encouraging faster completion.
  

Accupoint Software provides a variety of HSE management solutions that improve operations and help businesses sort through complicated and ever-changing safety regulations. To learn more about how can help, contact us.