This white paper discusses the importance of manuals for the oil and gas industry. It notes that the industry involves complex, hazardous operations and that manuals are needed to outline safety procedures and operating instructions. Outsourcing manual writing is beneficial as specialists can create documentation that is easy for users to understand, unlike manuals created by engineers. India is presented as an effective destination for outsourcing as it offers technical talent, reasonable costs, accuracy, and timeliness. The company Guires is introduced as providing outsourced manual writing and other services.

1. R
A crux of
oil & gas
industry operations
www.guires.com
R
We Make It Happen.

2. CONTENT
Why manual writing is important for an Oil and Gas industry--- 02
Safety & Injury Hazard ,Possible causes---------------------------- 03
Health and Illness Hazards-------------------------------------------- 04
Positive aspects of outsourcing------------------------------------- 05
Idea as an outsourcing destination---------------------------------- 06
Introduction to Manual Writing --------------------------------------- 01
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3. 01 White paper : A crux of oil & gas industry operations
Objective
This white paper elaborates how essential it is for organizations’ from the oil & gas industry to have user
manuals and also outlines its’ pros and cons. This white paper also explains how organizations’ from the
oil & gas industry can create a user manual using external resources.
Introduction to Manual Writing
Manuals are basically descriptions that are provided with almost every product today, with an objective
to familiarize a user with the functioning of a product or something that describes a product’s salient
features. For eg:- computers, cameras, vehicles, clothing, even food products come with manuals or
instructions. However, the company developing the product may not necessarily create manuals for their
products and instead they use the services of third parties who create product manuals on their behalf.
Organizations’ offer manual writing services helping to create product manuals, technical manuals, user
guides or troubleshooting guides.
The rationale behind outsourcing
In the highly competitive environment of the present day, technical manual writing services have evolved.
Gone are the days when product manufacturers used engineers / product designers to create product
documentation. When engineers / product designers created technical manuals it was created more from
their point of view, without any consideration for the end user. As a result, the technical documentation
that would be created would largely include technical terms or jargons about which the end user may be
absolutely oblivious. In such a scenario more often than not the grammatical accuracy of the document
also went for a toss. There was no way to ensure that engineers / product designers created content that
was easily grasped by the end user or created grammatically accurate documents. However, the engi-
neers / product designers cannot be blamed because the fact that they are good at designing / creating
products does not necessarily mean that they could create good product documentation. Organizations
were quick to understand this fact and they sought out ways to restrict the use of engineers / product
designers or laymen when it came to create product documentation. Needless to say, they did find a way
out for their dilemma through content OUTSOURCING.
A recent research conducted by Price Waterhouse Coopers [PWC] revealed that outsourcing was no
longer restricted to executing solitary functions but rather it included handling multiple tasks in an inno-
vative manner thereby rendering a project more valuable to stakeholders. A visible outcome of this trend
is that the choice of whether to outsource, whom to outsource has now moved up to the upper rungs of
the organizational hierarchy.
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4. White paper : A crux of oil & gas industry operations
0102
Critical factors to be considered before outsourcing technical
manual writing
Why manual writing is important for an Oil and Gas industry
Why outsource
Benefits of outsourcing
Value proposition
Content to be created
Target Audience
Oil and gas plays a major role in our day to day lives. A large chunk of the nation’s energy comes from
the oil & gas sector. They provide the fuel for vehicles & gas to cook food. They also provide several
petroleum products that we use every day without even realizing it. While we enjoy the end product that
is delivered to our door step, little do we realize the effort that goes into extracting the raw product, pro-
cessing it, delivering it and also the resources [human resources], that are engaged in activities ranging
from harnessing the raw product to creating the finished product. Summing it in short it is a very complex
industry that involves multifarious functions.
Given the complex nature of this particular industry, it becomes imperative for them to have manuals that
highlight operating procedures, safety procedures etc. For instance; let’s take the safety aspects associ-
ated with the oil & gas industry. Safety aspects play a critical role within the oil & gas industry simply due
to the chemicals involved, operating conditions which directly impact the personnel involved.
Oil & Gas Industry Hazards
There exists two primary categories of hazards in the oil and gas industry that have the potential to
impact the health and well being of the workers. They are;
Safety & Injury Hazards
Health & Illness Hazards
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5. 03 White paper : A crux of oil & gas industry operations
Safety & Injury Hazard
Personnel working within this sector are usually vulnerable to Safety & Injury Hazards which might com-
prise of
Chauhan N. Safety and HealtH ManageMent SySteM in Oil and gaS induStry.; :1-12.
Possible Causes
Motor Vehicle Accidents
Contact Injuries
Fire & Explosions
Slips, Trips & Falls
Confined Space
Often roads leading to well sites lack
firm shoulders & other safety features
Fatigue due to long driving distance &
long working shifts
Workers being struck by, entangled, or
crushed by tools, machinery or other
objects
Presence of highly combustible
hydrocarbons
Presence of oxygen/ignition source
Frequent need to work at elevations
Uneven surface
Improper use or non-availability of fall
protection system
According to NIOSH, confined space
referes to a space which by design has
Limited opening for entry & exit
Unfavourable natural ventilation
Not designed for continuous employee
occupancy
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6. White paper : A crux of oil & gas industry operations
0104
Chauhan N. Safety and HealtH ManageMent SySteM in Oil and gaS induStry.; :1-12.
At the same time, personnel are also exposed to Health & Illness Hazards
As mentioned earlier, oil and gas companies have their hands full with the myriad activities associated
with extracting oil to processing to delivering. Owing to the factors above mentioned it is essential for oil
& gas companies to have comprehensive user manuals that elaborate the safety aspects while working
on an oil rig. While the management would no doubt be concerned about the health and safety of their
workers and may very well understand the need for a safety manual, it won’t be feasible for them to delve
into the nitty-gritty of creating an exhaustive safety manual for their staff. This is another reason that war-
rants the need for outsourcing manual writing services to professionals.
Segments
Key Processes
Agents
Possible Health
Effects
Upstream Midstream Downstream
Seismic Activity &
evaluation
Exploration & drilling
Development &
production
Decommissioning
Pathogenic microor-
ganisms
Infection transmitting
vectors
Drilling mud
Petroleum products
Hydrocarbons
Radioactive sources
Chemicals & additives
Infectious & parasitic
diseases (eg., Hepatitis
A, Cholera, Typhoid
Fever)
Cumululative trauma
disorders
Dermal & eye issues
Pipelines
Transport & stor-
age marketing
Petroleum products
(Hydrocarbons)
Dust from filing &
scaling (from clean-
ing of pipes &
tanks)
Dermal & eye issues
Neoplasms/Cancer
Gastrointestinal
disorders
Noise induced
hearing loss
Dermal & eye issues
Pulmonary disor-
ders
Gastrointestinal
disorders
Neoplasms/Cancer
Petroleum products
(Hydrocarbons)
Treatment chemi-
cals
Metals (Pb, Cd, Mn,
etc.,)
Silica/Asbestos
Solvents
Noise/Vibration
Product refining
Petro chemicals
Sales & distribu-
tion
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7. 05 White paper : A crux of oil & gas industry operations
Drawbacks of not having a user manual
A user manual is simply a guide that outlines the do’s and don’ts while undertaking / executing a specific
task. As cited above, working on an oil rig can be a daunting task with critical risks associated with it. In
the absence of a user manual that lists out the standard working procedures, an employee will be forced
to learn by trial and error. Needless, to say this method could prove to be detrimental to the safety of the
individual concerned and it could also result in sizable losses to the company’s resources both infrastruc-
ture and financial.
Positive aspects of outsourcing
• Enhance Productivity
Outsourcing to an external vendor can contribute significantly in terms of domain expertise and thus
increase the overall productivity of an organization.
• Attention on critical areas
Through outsourcing, organizations can maximize their focus on critical areas aiding them to boost other
aspects of their business.
• Quality
Most organizations are more focused on their products and devote all their time and resources on devel-
oping a product. Such organizations are devoid of specific departments that handle documentation.
Documents are created by individuals who are not trained to do so. Outsourcing the document creation
task to an external agency ensures that the quality of the content generated is end user friendly.
• Core Competency
Outsourcing to third parties is comparatively more beneficial as third parties are more equipped to
undertake and execute the task at hand. Usually a knowledge process outsourcing [KPO] firm is engaged
for such tasks as KPO’s have the technical resources and the manpower to execute such tasks to the satis-
faction of their clients.
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8. White paper : A crux of oil & gas industry operations
0106
India as an outsourcing destination
• Availability of a large technical talent pool
India boasts of having a large number of technically talented personnel
• Reasonable cost options
A primary factor why companies the world over look towards India for their content outsourcing need is
cost. This can be largely attributed to the fact that human resources are cheap in India compared to other
parts of the world.
• Data accuracy
Overseas clients who outsource their manual writing services to India can rest assured that they get con-
tent that is technically and grammatically accurate owing to the large number of domain experts who are
also well versed with English language.
• Time bound
As is the norm, any manual writing tasks that are outsourced have time limitations. Research reveals that
Indian firms are more time bound and ensure that a project is completed within the time specified time
period.
• Time zone
A crucial advantage that overseas organizations can expect when they are looking forward to outsource
to India is the simple fact that they are located in different time zones. What it means is that when the
company outsourcing the work winds up its business hours, the vendor is busy working for them, ready-
ing projects for them when they open for business the next day.
• One point contact
Guires connects you with the right personnel who fully understands your requirements and harnesses his
expertise and know-how in delivering the project. This ensures that there is no ambiguity or any confu-
sion in executing the project.
• Complying with international standards
Guires makes sure that content generated adheres to international principles and standards which
ultimately lead to creating documents that are at par with global norms.
Top reasons to choose Guires as your outsourcing partner
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9. 07 White paper : A crux of oil & gas industry operations
• Reduce client stress
Once a project is outsourced to Guires, clients need not worry about any aspect of document generation.
Clients only have to provide project specifics and they can expect the desired document within the pre-
determined timeline.
• Management support
Every project is individually supervised and micro-managed by Guires management that has extensive
expertise and experience thereby providing valuable feedback and insights which is aptly utilized to
streamline the project.
• Timely delivery
At Guires, it is ensured that projects are delivered on time in a concise and satisfactory manner.
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10. About Guires
To learn more about how Guires services and solutions help solve your business and IT challenges Con-
tact a Guires representative or visit us at
Established in 2011, Guires offers multiple solutions which includes; research assistance, management-
consulting, technology, outsourcing, analytics, 3D animation, marketing and sales solutions across industries.
As a third party strategic service provider, we are multidisciplinary in our approach and we adopt a highly
industrializedprocessthat isunderpinnedbyarobust SLAthat conformstoindustrybest practices. Outsour-
cing solutions that we offer are not only flexible but also cost effective. With more than 100+ clients, Guires
serves healthcare and life sciences, retail, travel and transportation, insurance, mortgage, logistics and
telecom industries. We offer value added services to organizations across the globe especially in the UK, US,
Europe and UAE. The company is headquartered in Chennai with sales offices in London, New York, Canada
and UAE. We are passionate and committed to the industries we serve and are renowned for our proces
excellence, domain expertise, global delivery and technology
Sales Center Business Enquiry
Sales: info@guires.com
Support: support@guires.com
Partnership Enquiry
ganesh@guires.com
Mockingbird Towers,
1341 W. Mockingbird
Lane, Suite 600W,
Dallas, Texas, 75247.
Delivery Center
10, Kutty Street,Sterling Road,
Nungambakkam, Chennai,
Tamil Nadu , India - 600 034
E-Mail :info@guires.com
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