IPTC-18322-MS_SHE&S Improvement of a Major Subcontractor on the RG Barzan Onshore Project

IPTC-18322-MS
SHE&S Improvement of a Major Subcontractor on the RG Barzan Onshore
Project
Robert E. DeHart (RasGas Barzan Company Ltd.)
Johnny Brand (JGC Corporation)
Khurshid Khan (Descon)
Copyright 2015, International Petroleum Technology Conference
This paper was prepared for presentation at the International Petroleum Technology Conference held in Doha, Qatar, 7–9 December 2015.
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Abstract
This paper illustrates how significant improvements were implemented for SHE&S (Safety, Health, Environment
and Security) performance by Descon, a site Subcontractor organisation on the RasGas Barzan Onshore Project.
Under contract to JGC, the project’s EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) contractor, Descon’s
work scope was to construct the Common Process South and Offsite facilities which was successfully completed.
At the outset of the project, Descon aligned their SHE&S (Safety, Health, Environment and Security) Management
System with JGC’s SHE&S management system, which is based on the EPC SHE&S contractual requirements
provided by RasGas. However, in the early days of the project, Descon was incurring incidents at a frequency
greater than the other seven subcontractorsand also experienced the project’s first Lost Time Incident (LTI) in
July 2012. The paper evaluates the management system tools and practical actions that drove and sustained
improvement from the perspective of SHE&S management for Descon, JGC and RasGas.
To arrest the negative trends, in the second half of 2012, Descon management made significant changes to their
programme - including improvements to: worker recognition; SHE&S and craft training programmes; the site
organisation; site SHE&S campaigns; and enforcement of site SHE&S policies and procedures. The
improvements were also driven by various IIF (Incident and Injury Free) activities for ongoing engagement with
the workers at the worksite and in the camps, including IIF site walks; social camp visits and management
lunches with the workers; and various camp sports; and educational and cultural activities. The improvement
actions were captured within action plans, and key indicators were selected to monitor and measure the success
of the programme. Since the SHE&S programme “overhaul” and the July 2012 LTI, Descon established and
sustained a positive safety culture with the workers and supervisors; worked 31 million man-hours without any
additional LTIs; and clearly demonstrated leadership and innovation for SHE&S improvement on the project. This
paper addresses how these improvements were accomplished and the actions that made these SHE&S
programme improvements sustainable.
In summary, positive initiatives and actions taken by Descon ensured that the fundamentals of a SHE&S
Management System were executed consistently and sustainably, with strong management commitment and buy-
in by the workers and supervisors.

2 IPTC- IPTC-18322-MS-MS
1. Introduction
The Barzan Gas Project is being developed by Barzan Gas
Company Limited, a joint venture between Qatar Petroleum and
ExxonMobil Barzan Limited, with RasGas Company Limited as the
developer and operator. The objective for the project is the
economic development of a high quality, reliable and fully
integrated sales gas facility that further monetizes Qatar's North
Field resources to supply gas to the domestic market for power
generation and water desalination. The Qatar North Field gas
producing area is located some 95 kilometers offshore from the
northeast coast of the State of Qatar. The Barzan Onshore plant is
in Ras Laffan Industrial City (RLC) which is about 70 kilometers
north of Doha.
The Barzan Gas Plant facilities will contain two gas
treating and processing trains located on a green-field site within
RLIC. The facilities will receive full well stream fluids via two
export pipelines from offshore and convert the fluids to final
products of: sales gas, ethane, propane, butane, condensate and molten sulfur via two trains of gas processing
facilities integrated with utilities and the other onshore process facilities. The plant becomes fully operational in
2016.
Figure 2: Barzan Gas Plant – Simplified Process Overview
JGC was awarded the EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) contract on January 1, 2011. The
workforce on site reached a peak of 31,000+ workers from mid-year 2013 - 2014, representing 45 countries with
more than twenty (20) languages. JGC had eight (8) principal Subcontractors engaged in the Project.
This paper is focused on one of the eight subcontractors, Descon Engineering, with world headquarters in Lahore
Pakistan,that at peak construction had 4,500 direct and indirect workers on the project. Descon’s work scope
primarily included plant utility units known as “Off-Sites” and “Common Process South”, which encompassed the
erection of two flares (one of which is the tallest in Qatar at 172-meters); the installation of the site’s primary
132kV electric power feed cable and switchgear system; construction of the plant’s mono-ethylene glycol recovery
Figure 1: Qatar Gas Fields

IPTC-IPTC-18322-MS-MS 3
and regeneration system, off-gas compression system, condensate stabilization system, waste water treatment
systems, eight seawater cooling towers (a first for RasGas), four permanent water retention ponds, plant sales
gas metering systems and the beach valve station located at the onshore landing of the offshore sour gas feed
pipelines.
Like all Subcontractors on the project, Descon was required to adopt the JGC SHE&S Management System - a
three-tier model based on the EPC contract of 211 SHE&S contract-related deliverables (in eight categories)
measured monthly via the SHE&S Work Activities Schedule. The JGC system required a rigorous monthly
accounting, which helped to drive SHE&S performance. The EPC contract combined a highly prescriptive as well
as goal-setting approach that delivered a solid foundation to build strong SHE&S performance at site.
The JGC SHE&S Management System contained a 1
st
tier of standard construction project SHE&S policies and
procedures, adhering to conventional “organizing, planning, implementing, measuring, reviewing and auditing”.
The 2
nd
tier focused on “Behavioural Observation and Intervention” (BO&I) at the worksite, and the 3
rd
tier was
based on an interactive “Incident and Injury Free” (IIF™ ) workforce for building strong, sustainable “relationships”
between the workers, first line supervisors, and middle and senior management. Over project time, Descon
succeeded in maximizing efficiencies for all three tiers, and thereby achieved outstanding SHE&S results.
Figure 3: SHE&S Management System – Three Tier Approach
Daily safe work planning is considered to be the most important element of the SHE&S Management System, and
is required through mandatory Task Instructions (TI’s) at the beginning of the work shift, after lunch and as the
work changes. As part of the safe work planning process, the TI address the requirements of the Permit to Work
(PTW), the specific Job Safety Analysis (JSA) and Method Statement requirements for the particular work activity.
Since TI’s are an integrated approach focusing on the continuous delivery of top “Safety, Quality and Progress”,
the TI creates pockets of coordinated effort at site with endless positive possibilities if effectively done by the
supervisor. TI and Step Back 5-by-5 (SB5x5) – or Last Minute Risk Assessment - help re-enforce safe work
planning, hazard recognition and control, and the need for positive, ongoing worker-supervisor communications at

the worksites. TI and SB5x5 “skills improvement campaigns” have been continuous since the beginning of the
project.
TI’s and Step Back 5-by-5 were further enhanced by daily observations from trained BO&I personnel from JGC,
RasGas, and the Subcontractors who observed good and bad practices at the worksite, intervened and recorded
their observations. Descon provided 226 observers at peak, representing 6.2 % of their “direct” work force (3650
at peak), and contributed 1,290,760 observations. These observations helped drive significant improvements to
Descon’s SHE&S performance.
The other “driver” for SHE&S performance improvements was Descon’s adoption and active engagement of
workers and supervisors in promoting IIF principles at the worksite and in the camps. This engagement was
demonstrated by monthly update of Descon’s IIF Calendar in which camp events, such as: management lunches
with the workers, promotional activities for environmental awareness, heat illness prevention, sports competitions,
camp concerts, and cultural and heritage events and worksite promotions for safety and environment resulted in
many workers stating that “This project is the best Descon project we’ve ever worked on”.
Figure 4: Relationship as the foundation of accomplishment pyramid (®™ of JMJ associates)
The chart below shows Descon’s dramatic SHE&S performance improvements from 2012 - 2015 based on TRIR
(Total Recordable Incident Rate) per 200,000 man-hours worked compared to two other major Subcontractors on
the project (Descon represented as Subcon B). The “red” blocks indicate maximum TRIR, and the “yellow” blocks
indicate final, cumulative TRIR as of December 2014.
Figure 5: Compartive TRIR (Three (3) Subcontractors) with Linear Trend Lines
0.000
0.050
0.100
0.150
0.200
0.250
0.300
0.350
Jul-12
Aug-12
Sep-12
Oct-12
Nov-12
Dec-12
Jan-13
Feb-13
Mar-13
Apr-13
May-13
Jun-13
Jul-13
Aug-13
Sep-13
Oct-13
Nov-13
Dec-13
Jan-14
Feb-14
Mar-14
Apr-14
May-14
Jun-14
Jul-14
Aug-14
Sep-14
Oct-14
Nov-14
Dec-14
Subcon A Subcon B Subcon C Linear (Subcon A) Linear (Subcon B) Linear (Subcon C)
0.084
0.245
0.267
0.260
0.129
0.072

Based on the above graph, it is clear that Descon (represented by Subcon B) had a difficult start on the project,
reaching its peak TRIR at the start of 2013 (0.245) before trending down over the duration of its project work.
However, It is significant to note that although Descon did not have the lowest TRIR, they were the only
Subcontractor who managed to trend down its TRIR during the execution of its work for project duration (0.129).
This downward trend is even more significant when considering the complexity of managing health and safety
during the project life cycle, where changes in scope of work and increase in manpower levels significantly
compounded the challenges of maintaining a good safety performance.
2. Description of Issues
In September 2011, as a requirement before mobilization to the Barzan construction site in RLC, Descon
underwent a SHE&S Readiness Review which was conducted by JGC and RasGas SHE&S staff. This readiness
review was mandatory for all subcontractors working on the Barzan Project. This in-depth review consisted of a
“holistic” review of Descon’s SHE&S programme, including its organisation. Contractually, Descon was required
to to meet the following minimum site supervisory ratios:
 SHE&S Supervisor to Worker 1:200
 Field SHE&S Advisor to Worker 1:50
 Discipline Supervisor to Worker 1:20
 Foreman/Charge-hand to Worker 1:10
Because SHE Officers and Supervisors are contractual “critical” SHE positions, Descon SHE personal were
approved by JGC and RasGas prior to mobilization. In addition to professional experience, these individuals were
required to meet the standard qualification of a current NEBOSH certificate in Occupational Safety and Health, or
equivalent.
On July 11, 2012, a Descon work party (consisting of a supervisor, charge-hand, flagman, excavator operator and
two tipper truck drivers) were removing soil from an excavation for a 132kV electrical cable trench. It was very hot
and humid on the day and in July the heat index (ambient temperature and humidity) in Qatar easily reaches
50
0
C. The work party returned after lunch and the flagman reported to the excavator operator that it was very hot;
however, the operator requested the flagman to help complete the loading of the two tipper trucks before taking a
rest in a nearby rest shelter.
The flagman decided to take a rest in front of one of the tipper trucks as the loading of the truck was nearing
completion. The truck driver did not notice the flagman squatting in front of his vehicle and started moving the
truck forward, at which time the flagman was caught underneath the truck. This resulted in a right femur fracture
to the flagman’s leg and consequently the project’s first lost time incident (LTI). The incident could have been life-
threatening.
The LTI was symptomatic of issues within the Descon organisation that was struggling to meet the project
expectations for safety performance. Recurring issues that continued through the second half of 2012 included
the following:
 Repetitive field safety issues in which reports to safety management and resolution were too slow
 Incident corrective actions not being closed in a timely manner (including LTI corrective actions), as well
as unsafe condition actions that were being reported through various project sources
 Insufficient safety staff mobilized to the project with project safety ratio requirements not being met
 Basic PPE compliance issues mainly due to behavioral issues
 Safety training compliance below expectations combined with a training organisation poorly staffed
 Incidents occurring without being reported with occasional false information presented about incidents
 Environmental non-compliances with the potential to create regulatory non-compliance
It was clear Descon’s site organisation that was initially mobilized to the project was struggling to meet the project
expectations. The concerns where highlighted at higher levels in the Descon organisation, including the Descon
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in Lahore Pakistan, and the Descon Qatar Country Manager in Doha.

3. Mitigation Plans
In late 2012 / early 2013, Descon made some key organisational changes including the mobilization of a new Site
Manager, SHE&S Manager and Deputy SHE&S Manager. These changes were followed by actions to drive and
sustain cultural changes within the organisation with the goal of substantial “safety behaviour” improvements by
all Descon personnel both at the worksite and in the camps. Also, in December 2012, a team-building consultant
was brought in to facilitate three days of interactive sessions with some 120 managers and mid-level supervisors
between Descon, JGC and RasGas with the goal to help establish improvement plans and drive alignment with
project goals and safety expectations. The following sections of this paper contain information such as specific
action plans for continuous and sustainable improvement: establishment of craft training programme (not a
contract requirement); need for additional team building; learning from incidents; and establishing a campaign to
“finish strong”.
3.1 Action Plans
Descon management was tasked with the development of action plans for safety performance improvement.
Descon decided to drive the changes from the top. The Descon CEO its Descon Country Manager visited the
project site on five occasions during this period, attended site tool-box talks, and gave “encouragement talks” with
the workers. Special stand-downs were arranged and clear communication was given to the workforce, starting
with the front line supervision that unsafe behaviour, short-cuts, non-compliance to project requirements and
unbecoming behaviours and deliberate unsafe acts would not be tolerated.
Descon launched an initiative where each supervisor on the project signed a written commitment, holding them
personally accountable for the safety performance of their team. The commitment was not only a paper exercise,
but it was practically implemented. Strong disciplinary actions were taken against supervisors who did not ensure
that their work crews performed safe work through proper planning, execution and monitoring. The change
quickly became apparent to all: safety was not only a priority for Descon, but a “value” to be embraced by the
entire workforce.
The action plan Descon developed not only included efforts by top management, but more specific actions were
taken regarding “ownership, responsibility and accountability”. Descon analyzed and targeted specific areas
requiring improvement, through analysis of injuries, incidents, unsafe conditions and unsafe acts. The following
actions were developed:
1. Discipline manager’s Personal Safety Leadership Plan
2. Alignment workshop by external consultant for line management
3. KPI (key performance indicators) analysis and improvements
4. Organisation reinforcement
5. Sustainability of corrective actions and lessons learned
6. Monthly planning and coordination
7. SHE Officers Task Programme
8. Training and education
9. Finish strong campaign
10. Welfare and recreational activities at camp

The focus for the action plan was by design a line management responsibility for accountability and alignment.
For “High Performance Organisations” (HPO’s), safety performance is always driven and managed by line
management which enables continuous and sustainable improvement.
3.1.1 Discipline Manager’s Personal Safety Leadership Plan
The intent of this plan was for every discipline manager within the organisation to evaluate and
understand his responsibility in terms of safety leadership. Each manager was tasked to develop his
plan that was reviewed and approved by SHE&S and site management. Once the plans were
finalized, it was the manager’s duty to follow up and ensure implementation of the plan.
The actions from these plans were regularly reviewed by Descon management and discipline
managers were required to provide regular feedback on his respective plan. Coaching, guidance and
support was provided to the managers to ensure the success of his leadership plan.
The action proved highly effective as it created a very active engagement by line management in
terms of health and safety issues. Fundamentally, SHE&S programme can only be successful with
the commitment and support of line management, and this is where Descon focused the initial actions
to start the improvement process.
3.1.2 Alignment Workshop by External Consultant for Line Management
In addition to the Personal Safety Leadership Plans, the project noticed “friction” between Descon,
JGC and RasGas. Several factors contributed to this friction; however it was clear that better
alignment and team work would support Descon in safe work planning and execution. This was not
only apparent in their safety performance, but also visible in areas such as quality and production.
The project then decided to use an external consultant to facilitate team building for the team which
was done in a workshop at a location away from the worksite. The team was broken into smaller
groups who were tasked to identify key concerns and issues and identify potential solutions. As part
of the workshop, exercises were conducted to “break down barriers” and generate a cooperative
team spirit with the goal to make this happen at site for improved safety, quality and production in all
areas.
The workshop created a relaxed atmosphere where issues were discussed in a transparent, non-
threatening manner without fear of blame or retribution. Issues were tabulated and captured in action
plans and the team had a common objective of removing barriers to enable achievement on the
project. The workshop concluded with a briefing to management and a calendar “photo-shoot”. The
calendar included photos of the different groups for the twelve months in 2013, with every month
representating a specific milestone during that month. The calander was later printed and Descon,
JGC and RasGas representative all received a copy for use in their respective offices. The following
are four examples of the monthly calendar for 2013, a pivotal construction year for the project.
3.1.3 KPI Analysis and Improvements
As part of the improvement actions, a study was carried out on some of the key lagging and leading
indicators with the intent to develop improvement actions from the analysis. The benefit was that the

analysis created an improvement plan that focused on the areas that required the most attention.
The first analysis was based on injuries at site (e.g., a lagging indicator). The areas analyzed
included items such as: the mechanism of injury, the area of injury, discipline, time of injury,
nationality of injured persons, “Line of fire” injuries (specifically hand and eye injuries, being the most
common type of injury) and body part injured. Also, more incidents occurred on Wednesdays and
Thursdays between 09:00 – 10:00 in the morning. A factor contributing to this trend was that the level
of focus decreased towards the end of the week and supervision and management spent less time at
site during this time in the morning as this was typically times during which meetings were carried out.
Some of the key actions from the incident analysis included:
 “Preaching parties” focused on hand and eye injuries (included in the monthly IIF calendar)
 Meeting times were changed to occur outside the 09:00 – 10:00 period
 Site inspections and walk throughs were arranged during the 09:00 – 10:00 period
 Craft training was developed for specific disciplines, focusing on those with line of fire injuries
 Practical on site training was done for line of fire “concerns” to highlight hazards to workers
 Focused Inspections (FIs) were done based on a pertinent topic or concern for the month
The second analysis focused on Task Instructions (e.g., effective TI’s are a leading indicator). The TI
was evaluated by line supervision and safety personnel using a checklist, focusing on the typical
elements covered during a TI. The checklists were analyzed and
areas that required improvement included discussions on the
hazard and control measures, and the practical implementation
of the TI at site. The checklist provided a quantitave rating and TI
leaders that scored below a certain level were required to attend
re-training and those leaders who scored well were recognized.
The “best of the best” TI leaders and their crews, were selected
monthly as TI “Champions”, with the leader receiving an Apple I-
Pad and a “special recognition” work vest, and the crew receiving
phone cards.
Some of the key actions from the TI analysis included:
 Retraining of TI leaders that needed improvement
 Awarding of TI leaders and their work crews who
did well
 Training for evaluators including line management
and safety staff, and targets for numbers of TI
evaluations
 Safety officer task programme developed
including task of TI evaluations
Both leading and lagging indicator analyses and further actions proved very useful and an immediate
improvement in incident trends were noted. The actions were not only based on reactive measures
but also proactive by the in-depth review of leading indicators.

3.1.4 Organisation Reinforcement
Descon decided to reinforce its site organisation. Initially, the reinforcement started with the
mobilization of the Descon Country SHE&S Manager on a regular basis for site visits to support the
site based teams. Within six months, the Descon Country Manager and the Site Manager decided to
mobilize the Country SHE&S Manager on a full time basis to the project. This decision was due to
the fact that the Site Manager was involved with other project demands, so a more capable assistant
was mobilized to site to reinforce the safety efforts.
In addition to the full time replacements, regular visits were arranged by the Descon Country Manager
and the Corporate SHE&S Manager from Lahore Pakistan, which included site visits and participation
in TBT’s, TI’s and IIF activities. From mid-year 2012, the Descon Country Manager was present
regularly at site and spoke on many occasions directly to the workforce.
3.1.5 Sustainability of Corrective Actions and Lessons Learned
An area of concern was repetitive incidents which continued to occur after corrective actions were
implemented. In some cases, the identified lessons learned from previous incidents had not been
applied and corrective actions were not being sustained in the field. Similar to the incident analysis
actions (Section 3.1.3), a decision was taken to conduct Focused Inspections (FI) on specific topics.
A FI is a type of audit survey in which a management system element is reviewed in the field using a
specific “observation” checklist and data is collected and analyzed to develop actions for “identified”
gaps. The FI proved to be a valuable tool to support sustainability of corrective actions.
Another action to support corrective action sustainability was the Knowledge Assessment surveys
which evaluated the knowledge of workers in a work crew on specific topics. One such example was
the control measures for prevention of line of fire incidents. From the assessment, Descon identified
how well the on-site, in-the-field training for line of fire was retained by the workforce to determine if
there were specific areas or disciplines that required a better understanding of the “specific topic”.
Knowledge Assessments often identified areas of improvement and further supported the
sustainability of corrective actions.
Apart from the FI’s and Knowledge Assessments, specific actions were reviewed monthly and
followed up in the field following incident corrective actions to ensure sustainability. For example,
improvements were needed site-wide for TIs and Step Back 5x5 (SB5x5) including Descon and other
Subcontractors.
Thus, in August and September 2013, all of the project’s frontline supervisors attended TI Breakfast
Sessions where some 3,000 charge hands and foremen (24 sessions of about 125 supervisors per
session) were re-trained in TI and Step Back 5-by-5 to help reinforce safe work planning, hazard
recognition and control and the need for positive, ongoing worker-supervisor communications at the
worksites. The SB5x5 process is the personal risk assessment which ensures engagement of the
mind, task and surrounding area before starting the work (i.e. “Stop, Think, Look, Listen, Talk, Act”
about the work, control of the hazards, and intervening for unsafe acts or unsafe conditions). Some
460 Descon front line supervisors participated in these sessions which were an an interactive
dialogue between a facilitator and the supervisors in their respective languages with management
commitments given by RasGas, JGC and Descon senior management. A seven-minute in-house
video was alo shown on how to conduct a good TI and Step Back 5-by-5 for overall improvements for
a safety “first”, quality “must” and construction “best” integrated approach. Finally, a championship
competition was established where the top three TI deliveries by a charge hand from each
subcontractor (area-wise) were awarded every three months until project completion.

3.1.6 Monthly Planning and Coordination
Significant efforts were also made in planning and coordination efforts for SHE&S performance
improvement. The first step was developing a monthly IIF calander to include all IIF activities for the
month, such as: “preaching parties”, lunch with the workers, IIF walks, site inspections, camp social
visits and award / certificate distribution. During these events, senior management informally
interacted with the workers, talking freely about their families and any work or camp issues of concern
and giving them feedback on previously raised issues. Often, they distributed sweets (chocolates)
and selected the best workers for recognition rewards and certificates.
In addition to the IIF calendar, specific meetings were established to coordinate construction activities
and work permit issuance. The activities were reviewed every morning, highlighting the key activities
from each discipline on a plot plan, with confirmation that relevant permits, Method Statements (MSs)
and Job Safety Analyses (JSAs) were in place for the planned actvities. The coordination meetings
not only helped to improve the safety performance but also had a positive impact on production.
Another calendar event established was the delivery of Tool Box Talks (TBTs) by line supervision.
Every day a different supervisor was tasked to deliver a quality TBT. A specific topic was covered in
which the supervisor had to review, understand and explain to a large group of workers. The
challenge was met by most of the Descon supervisors and the TBTs became of greater value where
key information was shared and retained by the workers. Also, when warranted, the Site Manager
led the TBT for special emphasis on safety issues that were of paramount concern to the project.
3.1.7 SHE Officer Task Programme
Descon also set up a Task Programme for its SHE officers which included daily, weekly and monthly
targets for specific activities and established annual objectives for the officers. The tasks included
such important issues as: TI evaluations, permit to work assessments, MS / JSA review, unsafe act /
condition reporting, training compliance checks, IIF participation, focused inspection based on unsafe
acts / conditions and incident trend analysis.
The task program gave the SHE officers clear guidance on areas that required focus. The KPIs were
dynamic and adjusted as new areas of focus were identified based on events at site or output from
analysis, reviews or audits. The programme proved highly effective and the efficiency of the SHE
officers improved through this channeled effort.

3.1.8 Training and Education
A major factor for incident causation was related to the competence of craft workers. Although not a
contract requirement, as part of needed improvements, craft training was established. This provided
for competence evaluation of specific crafts, as well as training to improve compentence. A craft
training and evaluation programme was already in place for welders; however, this was due to the
strict quality control requirements for welding qualification and assessment. Similar programmes
were set up for different disciplines and crafts, e.g., carpentry, painting, rigging, instrumentation and
scaffolding.
Descon initially failed to complete 4-hour IIF training before workers were mobilized to site, so extra
efforts were required to complete the mandatory IIF training for every worker on the project. The IIF
orientation explained the purpose and key principles of IIF and also included a commitment by
management to set clear expectations for workers on the project. Intervention and respect for each
other were areas which were stressed during the training and the expectation was communicated that
everyone is responsible and must contribute to a safe and successful working environment.
SHE&S training also required improvement. The project SHE&S training programmes were very
comprehensive and included more than 100 types of specific SHE&S training. The training included
basics such as: site induction followed by specific activity training, including confined space, working
at height, manual handling and observation and intervention. Training compliance was improved by
arrangement of additional resources, with additional training and support from JGC and RasGas to
ensure that the required level of training was met by Descon personnel.
3.1.9 Finish Strong Campaign
Descon decided early that big efforts were required to turn around the safety programme and
establish a “positive safety culture”. Descon further committed to ensure that the intial improvement
efforts were sustainable with no degradation to project completion. Thus, Descon implemented a
“finish strong” campaign. The safety performance improvement was driven through different actions
and sustained efforts, but focus was given on ensuring that efforts were maintained up until project
end.
The finish strong campaign also ensured that the right supervisors and workers remained on the job
when manpower levels started to decrease, thereby keeping the focus on safety, minimizing
complacency and maintaining the excellent efforts that brought about improvements to their SHE&S
performance.
3.1.10 Welfare and Recreational Activities
Many events were held in the camp for worker welfare. Celebrations and concerts were held with
excellent participation and enjoyment from the Descon workforce. The Descon SHE&S team also
arranged team building events such as cricket matches and beach dinners, including Descon, JGC
and RasGas representatives.
In addition to sports and social activities, global events (such as Environment Day and Food Nutrition
Week) were also an integral part of celebrations that were carried out in the camps. Descon strived
to provide a “positive” living and work environment, which included the safety, health and welfare of
all residents regardless of race, religion, culture or nationality.
The welfare facilities Descon provided in cooperation with JGC were:
• Worker TV rooms for different nationalities
• Indoor gymnasium
• Internet cafe
• Weekend movies
• Shopping trips (seven days / week)
• Indoor and outdoor sports facilities (e.g. cricket pitches, volleyball and basketball courts)
Descon also organized various “in-camp” sports events, including an annual sports gala with games

such as: cricket, volleyball, table tennis, badminton, tug of war, sack races and chess. Workers also
actively participated in the Laffan Global Village “inter-camp” sports competitions, which also included
competitions for body building, art and drawing, and quiz shows – with Descon workers often winning
“first prize”.
3.2 Achievements and Awards
3.2.1 Qatar Petroleum (QP) HSE Excellence Award
The QP HSE Excellence Award recognizes those companies who demonstrate excellent HSE
Performance in executing their business on an annual basis. This award has three categories: Gold,
Silver and Bronze. All companies working on QP Projects are welcome to participate.
Descon participated in the award in 2013 together with more than 50 other contractors and won the
Silver award (second place). Descon highlights that were presented included campaigns, heat stress
prevention, TBT improvements, knowledge assesments and management lunch with workers.
3.2.2 JGC Corporate HSE Award
JGC’s Corporate HSE division evaluates and recognizes good safety performance for all its
subcontractors, in all project areas, on an annual basis. The criteria for recognition is firstly to meet
the JGC corporate target for TRIR which is 0.15 or less, and the second requirement is that the
subcontractor must complete the year LTI free.
For this award, JGC has 5 categories, starting with achievements of 1 to 2 million LTI free man-hours
and working up to 10 million LTI free man-hours and more. In 2015 Descon received the award for
the third consecutive year and also achieved the highest grade (category 5) being one of only 4 JGC
subcontractors worldwide who received this award from JGC.
An award ceremony was held at the project offices and Descon received the award together with a
special prize for a worker who won 3
rd
place in the JGC world wide best poster competition as part of
the JGC annual safety day.

3.2.3 JGC Best Subcontractor of the Month Award:
On the project, JGC implemented two monthly award programmes focusing on on Safety, Quality,
Progress, Welfare and IIF. The programme reviewed and awarded main subcontractors such as
Descon and also specialist subcontractors of Descon such as Insulation and Scaffolding
subcontractors.
In this regard, Descon received the award for the best Subcontractor 11 times from JGC and
Descon’s subcontractors received special awards 4 times demonstrating their commitment to overall
good performance on the project.
3.2.4 JGC Life Critical Rules (LCR) Campaign
JGC’s LCR Campaign for the Barzan Onshore Project commenced in March 2012 in which the
project’s 11 life critical rules were campaigned on a monthly basis. A fixed criterion was set for
evaluating the best performers including exhibition, understanding and SHE compliance, related to
the month’s topic.
Descon won the LCR campaign several times including two ‘hat trick’ victories (winning the campaign
for 3 months in a row). On June 14, 2015, Descon received the LCR Campaign “Grand Champion
Award” for maximum victories throughout the project amongst the eight subcontractors at Barzan. For
the duration of the project, Descon won 12 LCR Campaigns.
These LCR campaign victories reflect the commitment Descon had towards establishing and
maintaining a positive health and safety culture on the project.. The trophies were later
presented to workforce as an appreciation of their daily efforts towards safe practices.

3.2.5 JGC Safety Day Booth Award
JGC carries out an annual safety day where special TBTs were conducted including demonstrations
and awards. In 2014, part of the safety day included a booth competition where six subcontractors
participated. Descon received the award from JGC and RasGas for the best booth during the safety
day.
4. Conclusion
Barzan’s project management is highly committed to the delivery of a world-class facility with excellent safety and
quality. The SHE&S performance to date has been the result of the collective commitment by JGC, its
Subcontractors and RasGas to implement and sustain an SHE culture that strives to keep everyone safe on every
task throughout the project life. To date, the project has delivered world-class SHE&S performance in keeping
workers safe and has made workers’ health, hygiene and welfare a top priority at the worksite and in the camps.
Leadership and commitment by RasGas, JGC and the subcontractors’ senior management have ensured that a
solid foundation was laid for worker safety and worker welfare which are essential for any successful system and
organisation and ultimately the success of the project.
From the project outset, Descon initially struggled to meet the project’s SHE&S expectations. In 2012, the majority
of project incidents and issues were occurring in areas under Descon control. Thus, significant focus was given
to Descon and there was often recurring friction between Descon, JGC and RasGas. Improvements were
required and Descon senior management realized this as 2012 “drew to a close”.
The changes started with several key organisational changes. A suitable organisation is fundamental to ensuring
that objectives are met. The changes started the process of improvement followed by a focus on line
management and its responsibilities for safety. A message was clearly given to Descon that safety will not be
compromised and these words were followed up by effective and sustainable actions. Line management and
supervision were held accountable and serious mistakes and violations were thereafter not tolerated by Descon.
In a period of three months, the Descon team started showing signs of improvement that resulted in truly amazing
efforts in 2013 and 2014. Descon eventually became the top performing subcontractor on the project in terms of
safety and its leading and lagging indicators were a model for the other subcontractors working on the Barzan
project. Descon also became role models on how to use worker demonstrations (e.g. skits) and videos for TBT
excellence and general safety programme enhancements. A focus on line management and its responsibility in
terms of safety as well as sustainable efforts, focused on specific areas, turned around the SHE&S performance
of Descon “180 degrees”.

In closing, a comparison is drawn between the project’s performance indicators and the International Oil & Gas
Producers 2012 annual report (Global & Middle East Region), including Fatal Accident Rate (FAR), Total
Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) and Lost Time Incident Rate (LTIR). The Barzan LTIR and TRIR are based on
230 million man-hours expended project to-date. Also, shown is Descon’s performance in 2012 “year to date”
and 2015 “project to date” based on its expended man-hours on the project. Most fortunately, Descon has only
experienced the one LTI (July 2012) on the project. It is clear in this “lagging indicator” table that Descon has
truly demonstrated continuous, sustainable SHE&S improvement.
Indicator*
Descon
Barzan OGP Global OGP Middle East
2012 PTD
FAR 0.005 0.004
LTIR 0.025 0.006 0.007 0.096 0.050
TRIR 0.232 0.123 0.167 0.348 0.204
Figure 6: LTIR & TRIR comparative table including OGP data
* OGP data - normalized from 1 million m-hrs. to 200,000 m-hrs. (OSHA reporting criteria)

IPTC-18322-MS_SHE&S Improvement of a Major Subcontractor on the RG Barzan Onshore Project

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