Operator Influence in Building and Maintaining Robust Safety Culture in Drilling Operations II

Drilling for oil and gas is technically demanding and inherently risky. The operating company in the oil and gas industry plays an influential role in the development and maintenance of safety culture in drilling operations. While processes and legislation can help improve safety performance, significant reductions in incidents will only be achieved if resilient safety cultures are established and control measures take human factors into account. Safety culture is not achieved overnight. It takes constant, deliberate efforts to build and maintain over time. The study uses a framework termed the Fitness-to-Operate (FTO) Model to build a comprehensive picture of the safety culture of companies involved in drilling operations. The study involves a quantitative survey conducted offshore, yielding 60 responses. The FTO Model assesses factors underlying the organisational, social and human capital which combine to create the safety capability of an organisation. Within these capitals, ‘Safety Critical Activities’, ‘Learning Procedures’ and ‘Risk Management ’ were perceived to be the highest functioning areas, while ‘Error Management Culture’, ‘Performance Management Systems ’ and ‘Interpersonal Skills’ were areas identified as opportunities for improvement. Overall, the operating company had the highest perception of safety capability for the drilling operation, followed by service providers and the rig contractor