“PROTECTING WHAT’S IMPORTANT: AN HSE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM PRIMER”

Abstract

Introduction
The term Health, Safety and Environmental Management System (HSE-MS) is a much used and indeed a much abused term in today’s oil and gas industry. We hear and see it utilized nonchalantly by HSE professionals the world over but for many people a HSE-MS is somewhat of a unicorn, a mythical beast that they have heard of in folk lore but never actually have seen living and breathing in real life. These people are often the individuals the system was designed to protect creating a serious gap in implementing the HSE-MS.

Some 4 years ago the former Shell Deepwater Services (SDS) was facing the roll out of their HSE-MS and the question was asked by the Management Team how do we get our personnel to explicitly understand our HSE-MS so that we can get maximum benefit from it? The result of asking this question has been the development and introduction of a series of critically acclaimed workshops aimed at demonstrating an HSE-MS as simply as possible. “Protecting What’s Important 1” and “Protecting What’s Important 2” workshops have received considerable approval from participants for the manner in which the information is presented and for the awareness the courses bring.

Description of Workshops

Protecting What’s Important 1
In 2000 a team of SDS employees were organized with the goal of bridging the gap between SDS personnel and the HSE-MS. A series of development meetings and pilot programs resulted in the unveiling of Protecting What’s Important (PWI) in 2001. The team that designed the workshop set forth clear objectives for the workshop, with the aim of having participants: • Receive an introduction to the HSE-MS • Get comfortable with the terminology of the HSE-MS • Understand the basic structure of the HSE-MS • Understand what impact an effective and conversely an ineffective HSE-MS can have on: – People – The Environment – Our Assets – Our Reputation

The 2½ hour workshop use the comparison of parents managing their child’s first bicycle trip to school with SDS’s HSE-MS, making use of a non-work related example it avoids the distraction of work specific information that can complicate such a process.

The workshop is presented in 3 parts:
1. An introductory segment designed to break the ice and set out the agenda for the workshop.
2. Participants review the PWI booklet handout and answer questions relating to the content.
3. A case study, where the class is broken down into groups to analyze a “real life” incident in a Shell operating unit.

The initial format and content of the training remains in tact today, with minor improvements being made as per participants’ suggestions. The course makes use of varying learning techniques, reading, listening and doing thus addressing the different ways in which individuals learn.

What differentiates this course from standard introductory HSE-MS courses is the young girl Shelley. The PWI booklet focuses on how Shelley’s parents employ a simple, less formal version, of the Shell HSE-MS to manage their child’s solo bicycle trip to school. The booklet demonstrates that the eight parts of Shell’s HSE-MS is not much different than from how Mom and Dad would manage Shelley’s trip to school.

These 8 elements are:
1. Leadership and Commitment
2. Policy and Objectives
3. Organization, Responsibilities, Standards, Documents and Contractors
4. Hazard and Effects Management Process
5. Planning and Procedures
6. Implementation, Monitoring and Corrective Action
7. Audit
8. Management Review

Due to look of the PWI booklet students occasionally are slightly skeptical of its content and its impact. As participants move through the booklet they begin to appreciate the beauty in the simplicity of the example and how effective it is. The use of a family based scenario adds some emotional and personal aspects to the training. This assists greatly in the buy in to the program.

The booklet that accompanies the workshop has an added feature located in the back. It provides a top 10 list for Bicycle Safety; thus, the workshop not only provides HSE awareness for Shell work activity but safety off the job.

The final major activity of the workshop involves a case study. The class is broken into small work groups and given the task of analyzing an actual fatality incident occurring within Shell, pinpointing where deficiencies existed in the management system. Identifying weaknesses helps the group to understand why an effective HSE-MS is so essential to Shell.

Class sizes usually range between 10 and 15 students although the occasional workshop have held nearly double this size. Evaluation forms handed out at the conclusion of the training has indicated overwhelming positive feedback. Note – we should put some numbers in here maybe the results we have achieved in the course evaluations

Protecting What’s Important 2
Success breeds success and thus in 2002 PWI 2 was created. PWI was able to bring awareness of the HSE-MS; but did not educate personnel on their individual responsibilities to the HSE-MS and how they are to implement this. In 2002 a team of Shell employees were organized and provided with the task of developing the sequel. After three trial runs and revisions a pilot course for PWI 2 was delivered at Shell’s Woodcreek facilities late in 2002. A cross section of Management and Employees were included in the pilot with the hope of receiving feedback from personnel with differing views and application of the material. The feedback received indicated it was a success although a number of suggestions were used from the participants to further enhance the training.

Building off the success of the original, PWI 2 continues the awareness education of the HSE-MS and once again puts the now teen-aged Shelley in the limelight.

The objectives of this 3 hour workshop are: • Refresh the participants in the content of PWI 1 • Develop awareness of the documents and processes that are the backbone of the HSE-MS (activity sheets, standards, HSE plans, hazard sheets) • Understand where to access these tools • Understand how we utilize them in our work

PWI 2 follows a like pattern to its predecessor with four distinct sections to it:
1. An introduction session opens the workshop which includes a brief review of the PWI 1.
2. Participants review the PWI 2 booklet handout and answer questions relating to the content.
3. An added feature of PWI 2 is demonstrating on line where personnel can access the activity sheets, standards, HSE plans and hazard sheets that are applicable to them and their associated teams.
4. A case study, where the class is broken down into groups to analyze a “real life” incident in a Shell operating unit wraps up the session.

As mentioned Shelley once again figures prominently in the workshop booklet. This time the teenager is enrolled in Home Economics at her Junior High and she is given the task of delivering a healthy meal to the family and performing this in a safe manner. This draws the parallel to an operating company’s challenge of delivering safe, health worthy and environmentally sound products to customers, while in the process of doing this safeguard people, the environment, our assets and our reputation.

Shelley’s Mom and Dad utilize a similar but less formal approach than that of Shell to help manage Shelley’s cooking endeavours. The booklet reviews Shelley’s family’s approach and then provides greater detail of Shell’s other parts of their Management System. These are:

• Part 2 Activity Sheets • Part 3 Standards • Part 4 HSE Plans • Part 5 Hazard Sheets

Not unlike PWI 1, this booklet provides some off the job advice, this time pertaining to health related issues. Basic guidelines on healthy eating, courtesy of the United States’ Food & Drug Administration, have been included.

Future of Protecting What’s Important

The PWI 1 Workshop continues to be scheduled and delivered on a monthly basis in Houston and New Orleans. Some 1,000 personnel have been put through the training to date and it has become an integral part of the on-boarding for new personnel in Shell Exploration and Production Technology (EPT).

In addition to Shell EPT the PWI courses have been delivered successfully on 2 other continents and to three separate Shell organizations.

As discussed throughout this paper these workshops were originally designed to be delivered inside the Shell organization but due to awareness they bring Shell has granted permission to deliver this program to their contractors and to other oil and gas based organizations.

Conclusions
Ethically, legally and monetarily businesses must ensure that they are indeed protecting what is truly most important to their organization, stakeholders and the communities in which they work. They do this through the development and implementation of a HSE-MS but often personnel within their own organization do not understand the system or their role within it. Together the PWI 1 and PWI 2 workshops are bringing a rather complex issue of an HSE-MS into a meaningful practical application and ultimately contributing to “Protecting What’s Important”.