Petrofac: Updated training and competence can help minimize error

Offshore staff

HOUSTON – Daryl Brister, Americas Operations Manager for Petrofac Training Services, addressed the need for changes to training, learning and competence assurance practices in the U.S. oil and gas industry during the Global Deepwater Drilling Risk Management conference held October 26 and 27.

“Just as the U.K. developed increased training and operating requirements following the Piper Alpha disaster, we anticipate that the U.S. will evolve more rigid standards following the Deepwater Horizon incident,” Brister said.

“Going forward, we need to take a serious look at how industry training is being selected, delivered and measured,” Brister said. “We need to shift from a tick-in-the-box approach to looking at the competencies of the workforce and ensuring that learning curriculums and programs are designed to develop those required competencies and assess the learner to ensure the process was effective.”

In addition to changes in training, Brister discussed the importance of competence assurance systems, which are designed to ensure that personnel can display the knowledge, skills and behaviors required to undertake their job in a demonstrable and measurable way.

“Competence assurance systems have evolved with the industry as a result of major incidents such as Piper Alpha. As government regulations increase and the industry prepares for the ‘big crew change,’ Petrofac Training Services feels that these systems will become increasingly important to have in place, as they provide measurable, auditable information on the competence of an organization’s workforce,” Brister added.

While it is too early to tell exactly how new regulations such as the Workplace Safety Rule will affect training and competence assurance, changes in these areas will be fundamental to minimizing risk and improving the safety of the workforce, Brister suggested.

10/29/2010