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Posts Tagged ‘safety alerts’

Excellent update on Gulf of Mexico incident trends

Posted in accidents, Gulf of Mexico, well control incidents, tagged , , , , , on June 13, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Kudos to BSEE’s Gulf of Mexico Region for their timely safety alerts and comprehensive updates on offshore incidents, trends, and compliance issues. Their most recent update is linked below.

ooc-executive-board-meeting_osm-trends_07jun2022_mathewsDownload

For the past 50 years. my main goal for US offshore operations has been a zero fatality year. Sadly, that goal has never been achieved and will not be achieved this year (see slide 15).

Many casualties are associated with activities that are not perceived to be of high risk. The message on slide 22 of Jason’s presentation is thus very important:

Perceived low risk activities can still result in impactful injuries. Continually risk assess the work being undertaken, no matter if it permitted or nonpermitted work.

Know your personal limits and stop before you reach your limit. Pause and ask for help before you are at your limit.

Jason Mathews, BSEE, 6/7/2022

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Falls are NOT trivial

Posted in accidents, Gulf of Mexico, Offshore Energy - General, tagged , , , , on April 27, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Important BSEE safety alert – barricades and fall protection

hazardous grating

I never liked the label “slips, trips, and falls” because it trivializes serious safety incidents. Falls don’t get headlines, but they kill workers. In the 10 years prior to Macondo, falls were the leading cause of Gulf of Mexico fatalities. 17 workers died from fall incidents during that period. Related incidents associated with falling or moving equipment (15) and lifting operations (5) accounted for another 20 fatalities. There was only one fire related fatality.

Unfortunately, BSEE’s posted incident data are incomplete, so more detailed, company specific analysis is difficult. No incident summaries whatsoever are posted for 2001-2012 and 2021, and 2020 fatalities are only described as “occupational” or “non-occupational.”

BSEE does do a very good job with their safety alert program, and has repeatedly expressed concerns about chronic grating and fall issues. 2022 Safety Alerts 438 and 427, and 8 other BSEE alerts issued within the last 3 years (nos. 353, 365, 378, 389, 399, 409, 416, 423) addressed grating and falls. BSEE has also conducted blitz inspections to identify problem facilities, and the Coast Guard has repeatedly raised concerns about grating and fall protection.

Per BSEE Safety Alert 365, grating, open hole, and fall prevention safety measures were seriously deficient at many of the facilities visited during their blitz inspections in 2019. The prevention of fall incidents requires the full commitment of management. Some companies are clearly not making that commitment.

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