Australia’s offshore oil and gas industry currently faces a range of challenges which have the potential to impact on safety. These include rapid growth in the industry leading to skills and labour shortages and lower experience levels as a growing number of new people enter the industry for the first time.

The industry also faces issues relating to the ongoing operation and maintenance of ageing plant and equipment, according to NOPSA.

NOPSA works closely with industry and the workforce to ensure robust safety management systems are in place and that there is good compliance with safety procedures.

Training operators in the gas industry

Training and competency issues within the gas industry are a particular concern for NOPSA which has conducted national industry workshops to focus on this issue.

“Indications from NOPSA’s inspections of offshore facilities are that a number of operators are failing to ensure they have sufficient numbers of properly trained workers. In particular some are not meeting the requirements of their own competency programs,“ said NOPSA Chief Executive Officer John Clegg.

“Higher turnover of personnel given the skills shortage means that there are more relatively inexperienced workers in the offshore oil and gas industry than in previous years,” he added.

Each offshore facility operating in Australia is required – under Occupational Health and Safety laws – to have a safety case which has been accepted by NOPSA. The safety case sets out the facility operator’s commitment to reducing risks to a level that is as low as reasonably practicable. The safety case must describe how the operator will ensure the workforce has the necessary skills and training they need to carry out tasks safely.

“Operators have a legal duty to ensure that they provide training as outlined in their safety case,” Mr Clegg said.

Surmounting the challenge of ageing facilities

Current areas of special focus for NOPSA also includes ageing facilities as they pose an increased risk of hydrocarbon releases and hence the possibility of a major accident. NOPSA is also focusing on lifting operations as they can increase the risk of injury to individuals.

“Many offshore operators are using facilities on a ‘life extension’ basis which means that the operating life of the facility has been extended beyond its original use by date. Because of this, operators should undertake risk assessments and put in place improvement programs as necessary,” said Mr Clegg.

“As for personal injury, lifting operations on offshore facilities are some of the most routine of tasks carried out yet have been recognised globally as carrying significant risk.”

NOPSA’s lifting operations national program audits operators’ lifting procedures and arrangements for planning, inspection, maintenance and testing of lifting equipment. The scope of this program covers loads freely suspended from a crane or winch – including personnel and man-riding.

Indications from data collected suggest that personnel competency and the management of lifting and crane operations are the main areas of concern.

“The Australian offshore petroleum industry generally manages the hazards associated with handling large qualities of volatile hydrocarbons in the marine environment reasonably well,” said Mr Clegg.

“However, NOPSA recognises that in an industry where a major accident has the potential to cause a significant loss of life, damage to plant and equipment as well as affect security of supply – there is no room for complacency.”