1. Effectiveness of Safety Culture
on Drilling platforms and their
Impacts on workforces
By: Nadim Iqbal

2. Client/Research Requirements
• To Identity management and administrative Safety Barriers on offshore oil
and gas site.
• To critically evaluate effectiveness of Safety barriers by considering the
safety culture in organisation.
• To interlink the safety culture and employee involvement for sustainability
of health and safety in oil and gas sector.
• To identify links between safety barriers and their interaction with
workforce.
• To provide proper recommendations for achieving sustainable safety
culture in offshore oil and gas sector.

3. Research Objectives
• To provide literature based information from primary and secondary
sources regarding the importance of safety culture, relationship between
employee involvement and safety culture, and
administrative/management safety barriers in oil and gas sector.
• To analyse the client organisation based on health and safety policies
and strategies, also provide relevance of research based on their
organisation policy.
• To conduct questionnaire based methodology for collecting the data
from respondents regarding the safety culture, employee involvement
and safety barriers in Weatherford International.
• To analyse collected data based on safety culture, employee involvement
and safety barriers.
• To conclude the major outcome of this dissertation related to health and
safety requirements in offshore oil and gas sector.

4. Overview for Health and Safety
• Health and Safety is the term used in management
of organisation for doing safer jobs.
• These safer jobs can be done by creating policies
and rules to develop safety culture, in which each
member has its own duties and responsibilities for
maintaining their own and workplace safety.
• Sustainable health and safety environment can be
achieved through proper safety culture, employee
involvement and removing safety barriers.

5. Safety Culture
• Powerful force that shapes behaviour, belief and attitude of
organisation and its members for doing safe work.
• All procedures and formats followed such as productivity, safety,
manufacturing, assembling, construction and everything.
• Managing safety policies through all these activities followed in
organisation, but safety is not considered as sub function of
organisation cultures.
• Accident at Chernobyl nuclear power plant; whereas report
showed that poor safety culture was responsible for disaster in the
year 1986.
• Elements that make safety as compulsory element in organisation
culture such as trust in safety measures, risk perception,
effectiveness of control and characteristics of safe tools.

6. Components of Positive Safety Culture
• There should be strong leadership for promoting safety as core value.
• Implementation and establishment of high standards for maintaining
performance.
• Power should be given to individuals for completing their safety
responsibilities.
• The sense of openness should be maintained properly.
• Open and effective communication should be made for establishing
mutual trust among all members.
• Properly established learning environment with constant admiration for
expertise.
• Proper monitoring of performance and implication of safety rules and
regulations.

7. Five Stages of Safety Culture
• Realisation stage based on needs required for actions.
• Traditional stage based on procedure rules and policies.
• Observation stage based on training and compliance of
employees.
• Empowerment stage based on empowering employees to
take responsibility for their personal and workplace safety.
• Utopia stage based on self sustaining of safety culture and
organisation becomes benchmark for other organisations.

8. Safety Culture in Offshore Oil and Gas Industry
• Based on the effective management done by safety officers for different types of
hazards and accidents.
• To install safety programs based on measures to provide sustainable safety
culture such as strong relation between the contractors and employees and
training of employees.
• Many reasons for flaws such as behaviour of people, reduced consequences an
bulk to be averted.
• The most common example is Piper Alpha disaster that cost millions of dollars
and 167 lives.
• Different other elements to learn from previous incident such as questionable
decisions, misguided priorities, preference for productivity, design flaws,
improper design guidelines and practices.
• Majority of accidents are industrial accidents with percentage of 88%,
environmental and mechanical accidents are resulting for the percentage of 10%
and very less numbers of accidents are unpreventable with total percentage of
2%.

9. Employee Involvement and Safety Culture
• Willingness of management for improving the process of safety through their
motivated workforce.
• New regulation in UK with name SI 971 for improving the safety performance of
industry by workforce involvement.
• Health and Safety Executive forum had already declared it as an important
element for sustainable safety culture.
• Key elements for employee involvement are operational efficiency, motivation
and communication.
• Involving employees for new policies and routines is to inspire them for handling
these changes and managing their attitude that can reflect for the survival of
work environment.
• Frontline employees are usually working on the field and better know the ground
realities based on their personal experiences.
• The true drivers of culture are not the formal rules made by organisation but it all
depends on informal tradeoffs between individuals.

10. Safety Barriers in Safety Culture
• The major barrier in health and safety occurs due to inadequate knowledge and understanding of
regulations, whereas cost and tie factors are also considered major barriers.
• The attitude and value of employees is also creating safety barriers, whereas role of management
is also important as personal egos and lacking can also result in severe safety barriers.
• The poor communication between the employees and management is also considered major
barrier, whereas incompetent employees and managers are dangerous for health and safety of
organisation.
• Safety is responsibility of each and every member, to avoid old perception relating safety with
leaders and managers.
• Factors for non cooperation and bad attitude of managers and employees such as frustration
about job statuary requirements, lack of commitment/interest, enterprise size and profit margins,
risk management system, organisational beliefs and legal action fear.
• Barriers for employee involvement such as common sense extent, awareness level, age, profit
margins and costs.
• Diversity barriers based on their culture, religion, language, political thoughts and skills.

11. Assessing Safety Barriers
• Four major techniques that can be used successfully for achieving
sustainable health and safety such as employee work life changes,
employee initiated improvements, control power for making
decision and daily routine assessment.
• Strategies for efficient employee involvement such as
management education, employee training and management
commitment.
• Transformational leadership is considered as major factor that
can help organisation for making positive employee involvement.
• To make strong and clear communication in organisation for
developing mutual trust among employees.
• Technologies to improve communication such as electronic mail,
electronic memos, corporate website, social media network, video
conference, digital report generators and computerised design
and planning.

12. Weatherford International

13. Company Overview
• Weatherford is known since its foundation by keeping
this’ near to customer philosophy” by having more than
1008 locations weather ford has impressive and active
infrastructure.
• It is functional in more than 100 countries Weatherford
have About 1000 Services Bases, 85 Manufacturing
Facilities around the world., More than 58,000
Employees, 16 Training and 13 R&D Centres Globally.
• In 2012 global implementation of OEPS is started by
passing through seven centres of Excellence (COE) by
having these facilities the company will adopt a constant
application methods for services, performance, product
line, operation, work method and assurance of
competency.

14. HSE Policies and Standards
• Operating based on performance standards and non negotiable services for
managing their clients.
• Environmental objectives, quality and health and safety is maintained through
OEP policy.
• ISO 19011 Guidelines for Quality and/or Environmental Management Systems
Auditing
• ISO 9004 Quality Performance Standard
• OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health & Safety Management System Standard
• ISO 14001 Environmental Management System Standard
• ISO 29001 Technical Specification for Petroleum & Petrochemical Industries
• ISO 9001 Quality Management System Standard, API Q1 Specification for
Quality Programs for the Petroleum and Natural Gas Industry
• API Q2 Technical Specification for the Oil and Gas Industry.

15. Health, Safety and Environmental Policy
• To minimise risks related to different types of
incidents and accidents.
• Policy for zero accident and incidents in their
organisation, whereas they believe that all tasks
can and should be performed without any
accident and incident.
• Policy based on expectations and objectives set
for managing health and safety, quality and
environmental aspects.

16. HSE Management Elements by WDI

17. HSE Responsibilities in WDI

18. Weatherford Requested Methodology
• Literature based information about different safety
barriers and aspects involved in safety culture of oil
and gas sector organisation.
• To adopt real world or professional methodology to
collect information from main players of
organisation that are managing health and safety in
organisation.
• The ideal methodology was considered as
questionnaire survey; therefore highly professional
questionnaire was presented to different safety
personnel to provide their views about safety
culture, safety barriers and employee involvement.

19. Relation b/w methodology and main study
• The major aim was completed by adopting the
questionnaire based methodology, in order to collect
primary data from workers with large experiences in
oil and gas sector.
• The major relation between the aim of study and
methodology is to collect real data from experience
oil and gas workers to check whether HSE
regulations are followed during the work.
• It was also required to check whether there are any
benefits for using these HSE regulations and other
laws for maintaining the sustainability of safety
culture in oil and gas sector.

20. Questionnaire Methodology
• The questionnaire methodology was adopted due to easy nature for
collecting the information from different health and safety officers
of offshore drilling platforms in Oil and Gas sector only.
• The questionnaire was sent through email to HSE manager and
distributed among respondents in both hard copies and soft copies
by HSE manager of Weatherford Company.
• This questionnaire was distributed among 100 respondents in
countries such as Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and United
Arab Emirates including supervisors, Offshore Installation
Managers, safety representatives, tool pushers, maintenance team
leaders and technicians, operation team leaders and technicians.
• The questionnaire selected most of these technical workers to obtain
the real data from front line workers such as tool pushers,
maintenance team leaders and technicians, operation team leaders
and technicians and safety advisors.

21. Questionnaire Presented:

22. Questionnaire Presented Continued..

23. Questionnaire Response
• Respondents were further communicated and selected on
company level by HSE Manager of Weatherford Company,
whereas major contacts were made with complete discussion
with concern QHSE manager with complete permission of
higher official of company.
• The questionnaire was sent to 100 respondents through QHSE
manager, whereas there were only 37 responses received.
• All these responses were sent for the period of 1 month, the
whole communication was made with QHSE manager for 1
month period, whereas it took longer from respondents due to
their busy schedule and working hours.
• Mostly, the company have rigs in countries such as India,
Pakistan, Kingdom of Saudi Arab, United Arab Emirates and
Qatar. Mostly the questionnaires were sent to rigs located in
Kingdom of Saudi Arab.

24. Collected Data from Questionnaire
Experience of Respondents

25. Experience of Respondents

26. Safety Culture Responses

27. Graph of Safety Culture Response

28. Employee Involvement Responses

29. Graph for Employee Involvement Responses

30. Safety Barriers in Drilling Platform

31. Graph for Safety Barriers Response

32. Discussion and Analysis of Data
• Most important things for maintaining safety culture are safety trainings,
adequate warning for changes, recognition for good work, performance
feedback, clear communication, acceptance and appraisal for staff
suggestions, and reporting of unsafe acts and hazards.
• The communication is considered the key element for sustainability of
safety culture.
• Organisational effectiveness can be achieved through properly exercising
reward system based on knowledge, information and power.
• Trainings are the vital element that can help organisations for changing
attitudes and achieving effective performance.
• Change warnings and safe work appreciations are important for safety
culture as effectiveness of these two elements can provide strength to
management for developing sustainable safety culture.

33. Discussion and Analysis of Data
• Excessive reporting can cause problems for management to
achieve organisational goals, but this doesn’t means that people
are hesitant to report the necessary and critical unsafe acts
during the operation.
• There are more requirements in organisation to increase
confidence and security of employees and workers by involving
them in safety culture, rather than just conducting meetings
with managing directors and trade union members.
• It was also revealed that employees are involved in activities
such as risk assessments, suggestion schemes, attendants of
safety meetings, as well as inspections and audits.
• Frontline employees are the first observer of these risks on
offshore oil and gas sector, whereas information and
involvement of these frontline employees is important for
making important decision and strategies for organisation.

34. Discussion and Analysis of Data
• Friendly environment of organisation plays vital role for
achieving sustainable safety culture.
• Attitude towards safety is not depending on experience
of employees but commitment for organisation is
important.
• The employee involvement results in standardisation of
safety culture, harmonisation of safety practices,
improvement of workforce competency and decision
making.
• There were some difficulties faced for maintaining the
safety in oil and gas sector and behaviour of employees
such as getting workers to accept ownership of safety
and getting workers to report near misses.

35. Discussion and Analysis of Data
• The lack of communication and trust is considered the
major barrier for maintaining the sustainable safety
culture in offshore oil and gas sector.
• Safety culture can be adopted successfully by using
proper risk assessment and risk control tools.
• Clear communication and level of trust among all the
workers and management of organisation is important.
• Updating the policy of organisation against the Health
and Safety Executive regulations is important. The
proper updating of policies determines the social
corporate responsibility of organisation.

36. Key Findings of Dissertation
• Safety measures are important for oil and gas sector due to different
types benefits such as prevention from financial losses, complying
with government regulations, corporate social responsibility and safe
work environment.
• Frontline technicians provide exact information about operation and
procedures followed in oil and gas sector as they are first observer of
these risks and helps in making important decision and strategies for
organisation.
• Sustainable safety culture can be achieved through proper safety
training, reporting of unsafe act, action for staff suggestions, clear
communication, feedback about work, recognition of safe work and
adequate warning of changes.
• There are different activities that can be conducted by naming them
as safety trainings such as brainstorming, work briefings, toolbox
meetings, certifications for employees and linking experience
employees with inexperienced employees.

37. Key Findings of Dissertation
• Employee involvement can be achieved by conducting frank
meetings, safety briefings, setting safe methods, clear description of
responsibilities and rights, frontline workers appreciation and
encouragement.
• There are four major motivational factors for all types of workers
such as pay, social norms, power/position and job security.
• Proper assessment and work structure with frank and friendly
environment of organization can help in increasing the motivational
factor of employees in offshore drilling platform of oil and gas
sector.
• Clear communication and level of trust with proper updating the
policy of organisation against the Health and Safety Executive
regulations is important.
• The proper updating of organisational policies according to HSE
determines the social corporate responsibility of organisation.

38. Conclusion
• The worth of any kind of work and operation is determined by its quality and
safety procedures followed to conduct in any organisation.
• Health and safety measures plays important role during the work and operations
such as financial, work environment, government legislations and social
responsibilities.
• The employee involvement is essential for sustainable safety culture in oil and
gas sector because participation provides awareness about strengths and
weaknesses of safety culture.
• Awareness among all stakeholders about their personal and organisational safety
helps in developing sustainable safety culture.
• Different types of barriers and hurdles in health and safety of oil and gas sector
such as low level of trust, inadequate training, weak safety culture, fear of
negative comeback, management actions, poor communication and management
participation.
• Less effective barriers such as lack of recognition, missing information, macho
behaviour and fear of recording errors and diversity based on experience and age
factors.

39. Conclusion
• It is required to adopt activities based on ease of employee involvement
such as ease of reporting, encouragement, participation of management,
regular safety meetings and clear understanding about rights and
responsibilities of each stakeholder.
• It is highly recommended to provide power and security to workers and
employees for making decisions during their work for maintaining the
safety of everyone.
• Effective trainings and awareness meetings by management of
organisation can boost awareness about safety among all workers.
• Sustainable safety culture can be achieved through proper safety
training, reporting of unsafe act, action for staff suggestions, clear
communication, feedback about work, recognition of safe work and
adequate warning of changes.
• Assessment of different barriers for sustainable safety culture such as
management participation, updating company policies in the light of
HSE regulations, level of trust between all stakeholders, proper reporting
and updating information and communication errors.