IADC/SPE 27477

A Quality Approach to Safety Management

T.G. Fitts Jr., Sonat Offshore Drilling Inc.
lADe and SPE Member
Copyright 1994, IADC/SPE Drilling Conference.
This paper was prepared for presentation at the 1994 IADC/SPE Drilling Conference held in Dallas, Texas, 15-18 February 1994.
This paper was selected for presentation by an IADC/SPE Program Committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper,
as presented, have not been reviewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers or the International Association of Drilling Contractors and are subject to correction by the author(~). The
material, as presented, does not necessarily reflect any position of the IADC or SPE, their officers, or members. Papers presented at IADC/SPE meetings are subject to publication
review by Editorial Committees of the IADC and SPE. Permission to copy is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words. illustratIons may not be copied. The abstract should
contain conspicuous acknowledgment of where and by whom the paper is presented. Write Librarian, SPE, P.O. Box 833836, Richardson, TX 75083-3836, U.S.A. Telex, 163245 SPEUT.

ABSTRACT

Safety systems typically produce inconsistent

results. Erratic safety performance promotes
anxiety in the boardroom and skepticism on the
shop floor. This paper presents a quality approach
to safety management that will produce a more
consistent level of safety performance. The system
can be measured, continuously improved,
implemented anywhere in the world and utilized as
a foundation upon which to establish partnerships
between client and contractor.
INTRODUCflON
Organizations In the petroleum industry
experience frequent cyclical periods of safety
performance (Figure 1). Gratifying intervals of
safety excellence are often followed by frustrating
periods of injury incidence.
Typically, these
periods of high injury incidence are combatted with
a barrage of reactive safety measures like safety
seminars, safety award schemes, faddish safety
campaigns, and disciplinary measures.

References and figures at end of paper

419

The problem with this process is that the operation

lacks control. Managers are unable to define
exactly what was done in order to achieve a desired
safety performance (so it cannot be repeated) and
corrective measures are often short lived or
ineffective (because root causes are unidentifiable).
Managers are left puzzled, and personnel
demoralized.
A recommended solution is a quality approach to
safety management
a Safety Management
System that operates continuously and produces a
more consistent level of safety performance; a
system that is clearly defined by management,
understood by the workforce, and controlled at the
shop floor.
SAFETY SYSTEM STRUCTURE
The objective of a safety system should be to
provide a healthy working environment where risk
of injury and illness is as low as reasonably
practical.! This objective can be defined in the
form of a Company Safety Policy Statement which
should be posted, displayed, and made available for
review by all personnel.

A QUALIlY APPROACH TO SAFElY MANAGEMENT

How a safe and healthy working environment will

be provided can be explained in the form of
company policies and procedures (Figure 2).

IADC/SPE 27477

Procedures should provide enough detail to

describe the expectations of management yet
remain flexible enough to allow persons working
within the system the latitude to be creative,
improve the operation, and think for themselves.

Policies define the safety standard: what will be

done, how often it will be done, and by whom. For
example: Safety meetings will be held and
documented by all crews at each company facility
on a weekly basis. Policies should be broad
enough for application throughout the company.
Some procedures may also be appropriate for all
locations (eg: incident reporting procedures).

Documentation furnishes a recorded account of a

specified standard. The system should define what
elements of the system require documented
evidence and provide detailed guidance on how to
complete the documents. Required documentation
might include: safety orientations / training,
injuryjillness reports, incident investigation reports,
weekly safety meetings, and emergency drill
reports.

Procedures describe in greater detail how the

standard will be achieved. A procedure on safety
meetings might define who will conduct the safety
meeting, what safety topics and communications
will be discussed, and how long the meeting will
last.

Auditing a safety management system to a well

defined audit plan will provide confidence that the
system is functioning on a continuous basis as
intended.

A word of caution about the writing of procedures.

It's a natural tendency to define procedures in too
much detail under the assumption that the more
detailed the procedure - the greater assurance of
continuously producing desired results.
The
potential problem with overly defined procedures
is the possibility of stifling creativity, inhibiting
improvement efforts, and creating a culture where
people do not think for themselves.

One problem most companies encounter when

defining their safety system is logistics.
International companies may have different
procedures depending on local regulatory
requirements, availability of equipment, materials,
or training facilities. This could also be true for
companies operating satellite locations in the
United States.

A simple rule of thumb to consider is: "Will the

omission of a specific step be critical to the
operation?" If it's not critical or perhaps several
options will produce the same results, then people
should not be tied down to a steadfast procedure.

For procedures which cannot achieve companywide standardization, the local management should
work with their personnel to develop site specific
procedures. This is an occasion where a logistics
problem can be transformed into a benefit because,
as many Quality Management consultants profess:

There also exists risks of not being definitive

enough in a procedure. Safety Management
Systems are beneficial to the workforce because the
system defines what is expected. Everyone takes
pride in doing a good job but those expectations
must be clearly defined and universally
understood.2

'1f you write the rule, you will follow the rule. "

A safety system, if properly designed, can be

implemented anywhere in the world (Figure 3).
This system can be defined in a set of two or more
manuals. A corporate manual applicable company
wide and one or more manuals that define regional
or site specific policies and procedures.

420

IADC/SPE 27477

TRAVIS G. FlITS, JR.

SAFETY SYSTEM CONTENT

Policies and procedures should cover personal
protective equipment, general health, equipment
safety, common operations, and general safety
programs.
The key to a successful safety management system
is the involvement of people. Programs that
involve personnel stimulate participation and keep
a safety system from collecting dust on a shelf.
The key to involvement is for management to
transfer ownership of the system to the workforce.
Ownership must start with an understanding of the
system which is achieved through safety
orientations and subsequent safety training in the
policies, procedures, and programs which comprise
the system. It is unreasonable to expect people to
actively participate in a system they do not
understand.
Safety communications will assist in maintaining
interest and enthusiasm in the safety system. These
communications could be in the form of industry
safety advisories, in-house safety alerts, monthly
accident statistics, or bar charts which indicate
accident type trends for the company and/or
facility.

Safety meetings should be held on a ,routine basis

to provide personnel with a structured setting to
meet and discuss safety topics of mutual interest.
The forum may also be utilized for the purpose of
brainstorming recommendations for safety
improvement. It is advisable to have a documented
account of these meetings.
All personnel should be involved in conducting risk
assessments of tasks performed. Risk assessments
are best conducted through a task analysis
performed at the site where the task is conducted.
The analysis can be conducted individually or by
teams.4
The analysis should begin with a review of the plan
for conducting a specific task followed by the
development of a list of equipment and materials
required to complete the task. The next step is the
identification of potential safety hazards which
either exist in the work environment or could
surface during the performance of the task. The
identification step should be a brainstorming
session in which all crew members participate in
the identification of potential safety hazards. Once
these hazards have been identified, the crew can
discuss and finally agree upon control measures
that will either eliminate or reduce the risk of
injury to a level as low as reasonably practical.

Safety observations should be a routine activity

performed by everyone in the organization. The
more frequent the observations, the higher the
level of safety awareness and the lower the number
of potential safety hazards in the working
environment.

A safety awards program should be structured in a

fashion that will reward and recognize personnel
for their participation in the safety system. Care
should be taken to put more emphasis on the safety
process (behavior / actions) than on safety results

A process should be in place whereby personnel

can make recommendations for safety
improvement. The method of communicating ideas
for safety improvement can be as structured as a
Quality Improvement Program or simply as a space
on a weekly safety meeting report for suggestions.3
When personnel believe they have control of the
system, they will assume ownership of the safety system.

Safety systems should take a proactive approach to

the prevention of injuries and illnesses. However,
in the event an incident were to occur, personnel
must be prepared to respond in an appropriate
manner. Emergency drills and contingency plans
will assist in the development of a well prepared
workforce.

421

(statistics) .

A QUALIlY APPROACH TO SAFElY MANAGEMENT

Policies and procedures should be in place that

address the use of personal protective equipment.
They might include such areas as face & eye
protection, fall protection, hearing conservation,
respiratory protection, and protective equipment
for the head, feet, and hands.
Some of the previously mentioned personal
protective equipment policies address health
related issues as well (hearing conservation,
respiratory protection). Other health policies and
procedures should include sanitation & hygiene,
emergency medical response, pathogens, and
substance abuse.
General operations which warrant coverage in a
safety system are housekeeping, permit-to-work,
lockout j tagout, hotwork j welding, and confined
space entry.
Some equipment which may be referred to in the
system include cranes, forklifts, lifting gear, high
pressure lines, and third party equipment.
SAFETY SYSTEM ASSESSMENT
It is important that all of the policies and
procedures operate on a continuous basis. If a

policy or procedure exists and it is not important

that they always operate as defined, then the
policyjprocedure should be re-defined or removed
from the system.
Comprehensive safety assessments or audits,
conducted at appropriate intervals, will promote
the continuous functioning of a safety system.
Observations should be the focal point of an
assessment to verify actual implementation and
effectiveness of system policies and procedures.
The assessments should also include interviews to
verify personnel are knowledgeable of the system
and a review of documentation to provide
confidence the system is functioning as intended
and on a continuous basis.

422

IADC/SPE 27477

With the aid of an audit plan, a snapshot in time

can be taken to assess the implementation of a
safety system (Figure 4).
Audit plans are capable of objectively measuring
the work being performed to provide a safe and
healthy work environment if policies and
procedures clearly define the safety standard:
(what, where, when, how, and by whom).
If there are any variances between what is

occurring and what is defined by the standard,

corrective action will be required.
To maintain andjor promote ownership of the
safety system, persons at the shop floor level should
be instrumental in the development of plans for
corrective action (Figure 5).
Corrective action can take two forms: (1) plans are
formulated to bring performance up to the defmed
standard or (2) the standard can be rewritten to
better reflect what is actually occurring on the shop
floor. Either alternative will promote ownership in
the system and increase the probability that the
standard will be met in the future. s
CONCLUSION
Safety Management Systems benefit companies,
management, the workforce, and client.
Companies and management will have a safety
system that is clearly defined, measurable,
controllable, and capable of improvement.
The workforce will know what is expected from
their management, take pride in the achievement
of measurable objectives, and have ownership of
the system in which they participate.
The safety management system will also provide an
excellent foundation to establish partnerships
between client and contractor.
Client and
contractor can review the system and as a team
determine if variations of the system will be

TRAVIS G. FITIS, JR.

IADC/SPE 27477

required for the term of a contract. At the onset,

the client will be provided with clearly defined
programs used by the contractor to provide a safe
operation and control potential losses.

REFERENCES
1.

Sonat Offshore Drilling Inc.: Safety

Management System Manual,
(1993)
Section 1.

2.

Deming, W. Edwards: Out of the Crisis,

Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
Center for Advanced Engineering Study,
Cambridge Mass. (1990) 276-292.

3.

Imai, Masaaki: KA/ZEN, Random House

Business Division, New York (1986) 14-16.

4.

Health & Safety Executive: "Successful

Health & Safety Management", Health
and Safety Series booklet HS(G)65 (1991)
.
39-43.

5.

Byham, William C: ZAPPI The Lightning

of Empowerment, Fawcett Columbine,
New York (1988) 32-47.

CONVENTIONAL SAFETY CURVE

12
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1
SAFETY PROGRAMS
INCENTIVES
DISCIPLINE

FIGURE 1
423

A QUALIlY APPROACH TO SAFElY MANAGEMENT

IADC/SPE 27477

SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

SAFETY DOCUMENTATION
SAFETY SYSTEM AUDITING

THE CONFIRMATION

FIGURE 2

SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

DEFINED IN POLICY &PROCEDURE MANUALS
POLICIES
MANUAL #1
COMPANY POLICIES
WHICH ARE
APPLICABLE
WORLDWIDE

MANUAL #2

PROCEDURES

AND PROCEDURES

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

WHICH ARE SITE SPECIFIC

FIGURE 3
424

TRAVIS G. FlITS, JR.

IADC/SPE 27477

SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

SAFETY AUDITING PROCESS
STANDARD~~ SAFETY POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
(What, Where, When, How, By Whom)

FIGURE 4

SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

SAFETY AUDITING PROCESS
SAFETY ASSESSMENT SUMMARY
CORRECTIVE
ACTION PLAN:

SAFETY DISCREPANCY:

Three Persons Were

Observed ...

There Was No
Indication ...

FIGURE 5
425