(79a) Well, Well! Are We Drilling in the Right Direction?

Abstract

Well, Well!

Are We Drilling in the Right
Direction?

From Piper Alpha to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon/Macondo
incident and many others in between, offshore oil and gas operations clearly
have the potential for catastrophic consequences. Although most of these incidents
involved a number of technical causes, many of the root causes were related to
human factors involving leadership, accountability and safety culture issues. 

Individual performance can be negatively
affected by factors such as motivation, fatigue, inadequate training, excessive
workload, poor equipment design, and the worksite environment.  Most industrial incidents involve human
factors, and understanding these performance shaping factors is essential for learning
lessons and preventing recurrence.  A
strong culture takes advantages of inherent strengths and helps overcome weaknesses
of each individual within the company to create optimal company
performance.  

Recently the author has interviewed onshore teams responsible
for well design and execution of drilling and completions (D&C), and the
crews of mobile offshore drilling units (MODUs) and drilling facilities on
production platforms.  Observations of these
D&C operations in different regions and different regulatory regimes,
including the Gulf of Mexico, North Sea, West Africa, and Asia Pacific,
highlighted a number of common issues with potential to adversely impact
safety. 

The paper will summarize observations of the strengths and
weaknesses along with variations
in safety culture and practices between the different regions and regulatory
regimes.  The paper will also provide a
number of common themes involving safety culture, leadership, accountability, and
management systems that, depending upon the conduct of operations, can lead to
high or poor organizational performance.