Health, Safety And Environmental Management for the 21st Century – My Experience in Kazakhstan

Introduction

This report summarizes my activities in establishing a very effective HSE (Health and fitness, Safety And Environmental Administration) software in PetroKazakhstan (a Canadian owned oil firm) which had quite number of HSE programs and applications in advance of I arrived. In this paper, I attempt to present as crystal clear as doable a image of where by the firm, PetroKazakhstan, was when I arrived and what actions I took together the way to HSE success.

My Arrival:

I had in no way been to Kazakhstan prior to or to any of the Former Soviet Republics. I did analysis the country by way of the Internet and located that Kazakhstan was not the barren arctic waste-land I experienced envisioned but somewhat a gorgeous and numerous country with mountains and plains (identified as steppe) and even a part of the Caspian Sea, the world’s major clean drinking water lake. PetroKazkhstan’s HQ was positioned in Almaty, a gorgeous city which was a blend Asian and European architecture and lifestyle.

My very first working day on the position was January 4, 2004. Like all new staff I experienced to meet the men and women, recognize the business, and uncover a spot to reside. I rented a pleasant condominium in a great spot referred to as Samal 2. This place is close to the mountains and my apartment was next door to the RamStore, a mall with a grocery retail store which produced my initial working experience quite nice. I only had only a 2 minute walk to get my requirements.

The Position:

My placement, HSE-Director was a new situation reporting to the President. Previously, there had been an HSE & Teaching Director positioned in the Oil Industry but his part was largely similar to training. My initial process was to go to the oilfields and see what was going on there and to discuss to the people today both equally in HSE and functions. PetroKazakhstan (PK) experienced 2 major operating teams, one identified as PKKR which was the oil making side and the other named PKOP, the refinery. PK also experienced rail loading terminals, oil storage facilities and retail petrol stations.

My Visits:

I had decided ahead of leaving on my field check out that I would:

Fulfill as a lot of critical people as feasible and ideally persuade them to tell me about HSE in their parts, the good, terrible, and hideous.

Take a look at the oil field procedure web-sites and choose a appear for myself, assessing hazards and possibility measures staying taken to regulate them.

Critique the corporation HSE insurance policies and techniques

Make a summary of gaps I observed and assess the gaps vs. business greatest HSE administration methods

Our 10 level HSE system (dependent on hole investigation vs. sector leaders ) involved:

Improve Administration HSE Management- We required to recognize how Organization professionals/supervisors noticed their job in HSE. We then essential to produce workshops which would establish essential HSE roles and obligations for supervisors and supervisors. Efficiency ambitions for HSE would be included in management’s Annual General performance Appraisal.

Incorporate Hazard Management & Assessment – Hazard identification education must be supplied for all employees as nicely as Introduction to Possibility Management for all professionals and supervisors.
Improve HSE Education – HSE schooling ideas had been not formulated for each internet site dependent on hazard. New education plans for personnel dependent on threat needed to be created as properly education for supervisors on how to evaluate their staff in HSE performance.

Build Contractor HSE Systems – There had been no Contractor HSE Management techniques. Contractor HSE Packages were being identified as a crucial need. A suggestion was designed to hire an professional HSE Contractor Specialist to get the software commenced.

Acquire Protection in Style and design – PK experienced relied on EPC contractors to be certain security in structure in the past. A “protection in design prepare” would need uniform protection design and style processes for all potential EPC contracts. A crucial prerequisite would be a mandated Protection in Layout Prepare.

Update Operations & Routine maintenance Programs- There were a lot of gaps in operator coaching as effectively as a absence of Conventional Working Processes (SOPs) in a lot of key career jobs. A contractor to acquire the operator education and SOPs was proposed. Servicing and integrity techniques desired to be reviewed and up-to-date. A proposal for a computerized integrity upkeep system was instructed.

New Information and facts & Documentation Procedure – Quite a few HSE reviews being produced in just PK but not beneath uniform specifications and not combined for assessment by senior management. A centralized and uniform HSE reporting procedure and databases was proposed.

Improve Disaster & Emergency Strategies- Usually the Emergency Reaction strategies had been incredibly good and complied with Kazakh legislation. Nevertheless, PK lacked a company crisis administration prepare. We proposed that all regional web-site crisis response programs be reviewed and current and the staff be educated according to these plans. Designs need to also be translated into both equally languages applied in the subject, i.e., English and Russian. Choosing an seasoned emergency reaction consultant to create a corporate Crisis Administration System was observed as a reasonable way ahead.

Revamp Incident Investigation & Avoidance – Because there had been no uniform accident investigation treatments or incident reporting types, we proposed that new techniques and forms for incident investigations be created. Education would be provided to all security/environmental engineers and supervisors on root trigger evaluation and the ideas of accident investigation.

HSE Process Assessment & Enhancement – Options ended up to be developed for HSE method audits which would evaluation these 10 details on an once-a-year foundation, reporting the benefits to senior management.

What did we do initial?

When faced with 25-30 HSE technique gaps, what would you do first? I have normally fallen back on my simple core perception that you prioritize based upon hazard. That is what we did. For instance, the refinery had no PPE (private protecting gear) requirements so we drafted a PPE regulation and started out the procurement of PPE. At the same time, we secured a schooling corporation to come in for PPE schooling. The incident reporting and investigation technique was not a trustworthy indicator of incidents transpiring in the industry. Incredibly several contractor accidents were noted and few supervisors understood how to comprehensive an incident investigation type. The typical result in of an incident was “negligence”. The usual corrective motion was “send out the wounded to the clinic”. The identical mishaps have been repeating over and in excess of. We right away revised the incident process and forms and then applied a instruction method for incident investigation. A fatal accident transpired in February, 2004, which steered me to review and update the Very hot Get the job done Permit procedure and to begin applying Contractor HSE Administration. Until then, contractors ended up on their personal as to how to conduct their operate. The fatal accident transformed all that. We commenced by issuing regulations from senior management that all contractor routines would be overseen by a community web page supervisor. We also improved the Permit technique to call for that community web page supervisors signal and audit the work. In the in the meantime, the Permit technique was revised and training was delivered.

On a broader scale, I understood the business desired to comprehend its challenges and how to deal with them. I contracted a revered danger management organization to conduct a QRA (quantitative hazard evaluation) and to update our Emergency Reaction Program. The QRA would establish our significant process and HSE challenges and deliver tips to lower these pitfalls. Our Unexpected emergency Reaction Procedure was basically limited to what the Kazakhstan government essential. We required a corporate crisis management approach which would oversee and immediate steps in time of main incident.

These needed steps have been fully endorsed by PK senior administration and they presented their total assist in making certain that the 10 points to HSE achievements were put into put.

Summary & Final results

By the end of the first year, each and every period of PetroKazakhstan’s HSE efficiency experienced enhanced noticeably. The 10 elements of the PK HSE Safety Management Method were in position with improved effects in HSE, morale and productivity. The keys to PK’s HSE results were being:

– Identification of HSE gaps vs. Best Market Apply

Enhancement of a “In good shape for objective” HSE Management System

Senior Management involvement and support

Measurement of HSE gaps, evaluation of the gaps with corrective steps taken

Rejoice HSE achievements generally

Observe: I turned in excess of my HSE Director role to my deputy HSE Director (a neighborhood Kazakh) just after the 1 12 months assignment ended in December 2004. I left sensation assured that PK would develop into an sector leader in HSE. In August, 2005, the China Countrywide Petroleum Corporation obtained PetroKazakhstan.