(55ac) Analysis of European OIL and Gas Industry Accidents By Statistical Modelling of Human and Organisational Factors

In an era of low oil prices, reducing lost time injuries, the direct and indirect costs of accidents become more attractive than ever. This study undertook both quantitative and qualitative evaluation of workplace accidents that occurred in all streams of the oil and gas industry in Europe from 2000 to 2016 with a view to identifying the human and organisational factors that led to the accidents. The rationale is based on the premise that most accident causation theories are linked to human factors. Accident data were extracted from text narratives reports on the fatal incidents database of the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers (IOGP) for the entire hydrocarbon producing countries in the region and years under review, adopting a scale of 1 to 5 spanning from extremely unlikely to extremely likely. These were critically analysed and numerically coded with the aid of Excel spreadsheets using the Human Factors Accident Classification System (HFACS), founded upon the Swiss Cheese model of accident causation. The dataset on Excel were then exported to SPSS to run the required correlations. The SPSS modelling involved data screening, exploratory factor analysis, descriptive analysis, reliability analysis, test of homogeneity of variances and correlation analysis. Model outputs then enabled examination of the contribution of the 19 human factors in the HFACS towards causing the reported accidents.

The data screening showed the coded data to be reliable for statistical analysis that forms the nucleus of the research method. Decision-based error was found to have a Spearman rank correlation coefficient of 0.581 with planned inappropriate operations, personal readiness 0.528 and 0.537 with supervisory violations and physical mental condition respectively, perceptual error 0.611 with physical environment. These and other results obtained were compared with established benchmarks, explanations made for a few deviations from expected trends and the significance of obtained results discussed. The research validates human error as a prominent causal factor of major accidents in the area under review as the data acquired, processed and interpreted closely corroborate the initial hypothesis, classical accident theories and the findings of a good number of previous works in the literature.
This paper with the aid of the HFACS has exhaustively explored the various influences of organizational levels in the European oil and gas industry on fatal accidents by analysing neglect of their various duties of care. Fundamental changes in organisational safety culture are thus advocated to stem the tides of accidents to oil and gas workers in Europe and the world by extension. The results and recommendations that follow should serve as paradigm for regulators, operators and contractors seeking to minimise the occurrence of occupational accidents and drive the continuous improvement function in their health and safety management systems.