OME '08: Pearl GTL reaches 3 million LTI-free hours

Tracy Dulle
Technology Editor

DOHA, Qatar -- Since the commencement of the Pearl GTL drilling activities in Qatar's North field in 2004, five drilling rigs have been taken on contract and to date it has been a four-year and 3 million manhours Lost Time Incident (LTI)-free operation.

Andy May of Qatar Shell discussed how they accomplished such a feat during a presentation on HSE Management in a Drilling Environment at the Offshore Middle East 2008 Conference and Exhibition in Doha, Qatar today.

Pearl GTL management is committed to safety, May said, and stopped operations for two days to coach their workers.

"Currently our industry is stretched to capacity, rigs are in short supply, and people are even more scarce," May said. The result is people are coming from different cultures with different languages—which can create a risk.

May focused in on the "induction" phase, the initial step of their HSE training. He described the phase as a way to deliver the "One Team" message. The training took employees through fun, memorable exercises that included banging on bongo drums, building and launching rockets into the air, and passing each other through a giant spider web.

They were introduced to the concept of "STOP" during the exercises. STOP is a system used on many rigs. When something unsafe occurs anyone can intervene and stop the work, point out the mistake and correct it.

Task Risk Identification Cards (TRIC) were also introduced, a post-activity hazard analysis. It is filled out on the worksite and highlights specific hazards.

May admits that safety performance is partially due to luck, and learning from near-misses. Daily morning meetings and frequent visits from key members of the team were utilized on the Pearl GTL project.

"Safety is a value that goes all the way to the top.

"We have to do a few things well and not a lot of things badly," May said. "Keep it simple, stick to the things you know work."

10/28/2008