HSE the devil is in the detail

Did you know that one of the causes of the Mumbai North Oil Platform fire that completely destroyed the installation and resulted in multiple fatalities could have been prevented if the catering staff were wearing cut resistant gloves?

A chef onboard the oil platform required a medivac after sustaining a serious cut. The responding support vessel subsequently lost control and hit a riser causing oil and gas to leak and ignite.

Often the devil is in the detail, a HSE New Zealand audit gets into the detail of your Safety Management System, yes we have a checklist (as most auditors do and should), however, rather than the tick and flick audits that have become commonplace, we get into the detail. Yes like most auditors we want to see a paper trail and evidence of compliance, but we also want to verify that these systems are practical and workable, we do this by scenario based verification.

Let me give you an example, a recent audit of a vessel which undertakes Dangerous Goods sailings found that the vessel had a DG procedure, the crew had been trained and signed off and drills were conducted periodically, to the less experienced auditor this would have been a tick and move onto the next section of the checklist.

"OK Captain please demonstrate how you will deal with a diesel tanker spill onboard?" This is when things started to go wrong, the crew couldn't locate there emergency spill kit and when they did, they contained half a dozen absorbent pads, these would have been fine for a few litres, but not for several hundred. So then we escalated events we now had a small fire on deck, time to fight the fire and muster the crew and passengers, hold on a minute (or 5 in this instance) the skipper could not locate the general alarm button, the deckhand could not connect the hose reels and when they did the water pressure took significant time to build up. Exercise over.

Whilst all the crew were disappointed with their performance, it remained a positive learning experience for all involved. The skipper and crew debriefed and committed to ensuring that drills are made as lifelike as possible moving forward. No more desktop drills over coffee on the bridge for this boat. Procedures were re-drafted and a proper risk assessment conducted to ensure the response equipment provided was appropriate for the DG that they would transport. At the end of the day it was a good result, much better we identify these issues now than in a real life situation, the PCBU Officers recognised the value in this level of strategic H&S review.

The above is just one of many examples we have at HSE New Zealand. We love getting into the detail, we don't just check the paperwork, we ensure that as a PCBU Officer / Director we provide a detailed system and workplace review and ensure you are fully informed on your business' HSE performance and critical risks.

Ask about our HSE New Zealand Strategic Review.

About the author, Ritchie started his safety career in the military before working in safety advisory roles for the demolition / construction / Oil & Gas industry, before commencing employment with the NZ Government, Offshore & Maritime regulator completing his tenure with them as the Regional Compliance Manager. In this role, Ritchie would respond to emergencies, oil spill response, oversee Port & Flag State control, and manage serious and fatal incident investigations.