On 14th September Safer Together held their third virtual Drilling and Completions Industry Incident Review Panel of 2021. Sponsored by Shell QGC and Qteq, the theme for the event was “Perceived or Actual Pressure at Site” which is a significant focus area arising from the Incident Deep Dive Analysis project the Rig Site Safety Working Group carried out in 2020.
The event was professionally hosted by Adam Sommerfeld - Engineering Manager Well Integrity and Plug & Abandonment, Shell QGC. As always, Adam filled the role brilliantly, including sharp wardrobe choices reminiscent of the movie Anchorman. Ironically the team had some actual pressure to deal with early on with poor quality audio delivery. Like true professionals they paused the event to troubleshoot the problem, solve the issue, and then re-commenced work!
The event kicked off with a powerful safety moment from Richard Nolan - HSER Manager Onshore, Santos who shared his operational experiences and observations on the role pressure can play in contributing to incidents.
This was followed by an in-depth incident share about a driving incident where pressure and fatigue on a person early in their career had culminated in a near triple driving fatality. This incident was so relatable, as everyone has a first day/week/month on site with a new employer.
The next incident presentation highlighted the impact supervision and management have in creating the environment where pressure can reach a site with unintended consequences, and included advice for those new to supervising, or new to managing supervisors, on how to create a safer culture.
The much-anticipated keynote was presented by Jonathan Clark - Director, The Eighth Mile Consulting. His specialist topic was identifying and dealing with Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity (VUCA). Jonathan shared openly his military experiences during active service and the key lessons we can take as leaders from this. He also explained the human body’s natural responses to stress, how to recognise these, and how to best manage them effectively.
To round out the event, Ewan Meldrum - CEO, Qteq reflected on the key learning points and thanked all speakers and delegates for their attendance.
As MC for the event, Adam Sommerfeld reflected afterwards “With each DCIIRP my understanding of how I, and all individuals in our industry, can act to reduce the likelihood of an incident deepens. This journey of continual improvement is at the heart of Safer Together and I eagerly look forward to future DCIIRPs to persist in this pursuit.”
Co-Host Ewan Meldrum added, “The DCIIRPs play a significant part in Safer Together’s three-year strategic safety plan. These sessions are the communication platform for major sharing of high value learning events and incidents, which we can all learn from to reduce the number and frequency of people who get hurt in our industry.”
Keynote speaker Jonathan Clark also kindly shared his thoughts about the event “It is heartening to see organisations look to unpack incidents with the intent to continuously evolve their practices and not attribute blame. The cultural shift and change will go a long way to creating an environment of open, honest and transparent communication where people are more likely to contribute to the continual improvement of the industry.”
Safer Together Members can access a full video recording of the webinar here.
If you would like your company to receive invitations to future Drilling & Completions Industry Incident Review Panel (DCIIRP) events, please contact us at [email protected] to forward the names and contact details of your nominated invitees.
For more information about the DCIIRP click here.