BackDROPS FORUM - Aberdeen, 14th September 2011
Greg Reid opened the Forum and gave a Safety Brief. The recent DROPS updates are:
MEMBERSHIP: Delighted to welcome following new members: Apave Rope Access (Macedonia), Linjebygg Offshore (Norway), Thiess Degremont (Australia), Gulf (Qatar), Pipe Well Services (Saudi Arabia), Rigspek (Indonesia), Rig Inspection Services and Dropsafe (both Singapore), Sabre Safety, Fastenal and Saipem (all UK), and Cudd Energy Services, Bass Drill and Ergodyne (all USA).
DROPS INTERNATIONAL: DROPS USA held their last Forum in May. They have now established a regional DROPS charter and a plan for their way ahead. DROPS Asia has recently held forums in Singapore and Vietnam, with further events planned for the months ahead. DROPS Asia issue a regular update (DropZone) which we post to the DROPS website.
DROPS Middle East witnessed a fantastic response to their follow-up DROPS forum in Qatar in May. DROPS Forum also held in Norway in June. All minutes and presentations from this Stavanger Forum are on the website including an interesting presentation from Norwegian PSA which shows no significant improvement in trend and frequency of dropped objects in Norwegian Sector, particularly in regard to drilling and crane operations.
In response to demand and enquiries from the Brazil region, plans are underway to host an inaugural South American DROPS forum and Training Programmes in April 2012 coinciding with IADC’s Deepwater conference in Rio.
DROPS TRAINING: DROPS Training and Awareness has been undertaken in USA, Qatar, Saudi, Nigeria, Canada and Sakhalin. Training is presently underway for Transocean in Ghana and enquiries for training in South Africa are being addressed.
DROPS Train-the-Trainer sessions continue to be hosted in Aberdeen at regular intervals – see website for details.
DROPS FORUMS: Next Forums will be held on:
- Thursday November 3rd, Perth, Western Australia
- Wednesday December 1st at Marcliffe Hotel, Aberdeen; UK
INDUSTRY EXCHANGES: Following on from our exchanges with the Construction Sector, we have been invited by the Association of Electricity Producers to present DROPS to their Health & Safety Forum.
FOCUS GROUPS: DROPS Training Update and Campaign Pack Update have been coupled for the first stages of review. Since last Forum, the UK Focus Group members have viewed the current training programme and we have asked DROPS Asia for their input.
Effort has continued with DORIS and we are encouraged by feedback we have received in recent weeks. Debbie will make a short DORIS presentation later this morning.
DROPS PRODUCTS: As DROPS becomes increasingly Global, we are experiencing greater demand for translated versions of DROPS products. If your organisation has or could help with translating any DROPS material, we would welcome your support. Similarly, we are looking where possible to standardise our terminology and later today, we will look at the terms used in the DROPS Calculator to establish their validity.
ENQUIRIES AND REQUESTS: In the background, responses to numerous requests and enquiries and most are dealt with by the Admin Team or with the support of the Steering Committee. Sometimes however, it is helpful to seek input from the broader DROPS Forum and two such examples will be presented shortly.
SAFETY ALERTS: A number of Safety Alerts have been issued since last Forum and some are being presented today. We remind you that details of all of these can be found on the website and we encourage you to send us details of any alerts relating to dropped objects that you encounter in your sphere of activity. Please email DROPS at admin@dropsonline.org
DROPS Update – Greg Reid, DROPS
A request from a member company in the US queried their product. As a manufacturer, they were requesting feedback as to whether or not their product aligns with the legislative and Best Practice requirements. As we do not endorse a product, should we have a mechanism in our guidelines to include these types of products. Is independent verification required. Should we form a Technical Review Team?
Greg shared some safety alerts and incidents, some shared by Marine Safety Forum, and a couple of video clips.
Follow this link to download the presentation.
DORIS – Debbie Mecklenburgh, DROPS
Debbie gave an overview of the current statistics held in DORIS. The message has not changed in the past year and the top 3 causes are still the same from 2010 to 2011. On DORIS, there were 336 recorded incidents between January 2010 and July 2011. The populated incidents are all from the European sector, however, DROPS will open up to global population in 2012.
Attendees queried some of the categories and suggested potential changes. These will be discussed within the Focus Group and the database will be expanded to deliver more meaningful statistics. Please continue to feedback to us any issues or suggestions to get the best out of DORIS.
Several members highlighted that they input data and are finding it useful. Talisman confirmed that as an operator they will begin using DORIS starting January 2012.
If you do not yet have your log-on please e-mail admin@dropsonline.org
Follow this link to download the presentation.
Incident Presentation – Donald Cumming, BG
Donald presented an incident whereby a 4ft long piece of wood was discovered on top of a container, loaded onto a truck, prior to being sent to the quayside. There had even been a cargo summary checklist completed by the contractor yard before loading. Fortunately, the cargo straps that the driver used to secure his load had caught the piece of wood as he was unaware of it. Subsequent investigation highlighted the Root Causes and full details of these are available to download with the presentation.
Additional slides showed a Tools at Height kit that is on one installation. The main observations included tools that did not comply with DROPS Working at Height recommendations, ineffective inventories/inventory checks and insufficient or inappropriate tools available for certain routine jobs.
Follow this link to download the presentation.
Mobile Training Unit – Darren Eatock, Technip
We were shown some slides from Darren about the approach that they have undertaken to help prevent Dropped Objects. They have developed, in conjunction with Capital Safety, a mobile training unit (MTU) that can be a cost-effective solution for delivering training on working at height, confined space entry and advanced rescue. Of the many key features, the MTU demonstrates reliable securing and bolting techniques and provides the opportunity for personnel to become familiar with the practical aspects of dropped objects prevention, utilising tool lanyards and bags. An animated movie was shown to demonstrate this unit.
Follow this link to download the presentation.
DROPS Calculator – Greg Reid, DROPS
Greg showed the DROPS Calculator and highlighted the categorisation of the severity of a dropped object. Roughly 50% of members use the 4 areas of current terminology but in order to cover all members, we are looking to change them from the current terms. The full presentation is available with the minutes. If you have any other suggestions/comments, then please let us know at admin@dropsonline.org
Joint Member Initiative – Dolphin Drilling/Servtech
The Dolphin presentation given by Ronnie Watt focused on an initiative that they have undertaken to highlight Dropped Objects and prevention. Dolphin had suffered from several incidents involving dropped objects and, after using DORIS to look at their own statistics, Dolphin discovered that their statistics were showing very similar trends to the industry ones. They developed a programme in conjunction with a training provider that engaged actors in realistic and hard-hitting role play scenarios to deliver a powerful message on the potential impact of a serious dropped object and the need for behavioural change.
Follow this link to download the presentation.
We also saw some slides from Keith Little of Servtech, who had worked with Dolphin during the training seminars. These slides described the types of surveys undertaken and some examples of items found. This system is helping share the responsibility of the inspections between the drilling contractor and the inspection company.
DROPS Surveys & Inspections – Lenny West, Talisman
Talisman is also still seeing dropped object incidents. These slides highlighted a variety of locations where tools were found. We were also shown a short video that demonstrated a stress check test on grating.
Follow this link to download the presentation.
Survey Findings & Recommendations – Alistair Tong, ADC
Alistair presented some slides as an outcome from a recent survey undertaken at a drilling contractor’s yard and warehouse facility in alignment with the DROPS Best Practice on Inspection Guidelines. These slides showed numerous examples of practices that would not be deemed acceptable offshore. Findings showed that the Company’s supply chain manual was not focusing on onshore operations. Also discovered during this survey were several items found in forklift pockets.
Follow this link to download the presentation.
Open Floor and Any Other Business
Greg invited the attendees to offer any issues for further discussion in the open floor session.
Next meeting
Date: Thursday 1 December 2010
Time: 0945-1500 (lunch 1330-1500)
Venue: Marcliffe Hotel, Aberdeen
Host: DROPS Global Steering Committee Members