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Journal of the Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association (APPEA)
RESEARCH ARTICLE (Non peer reviewed)

Beyond the TRIFR – maintaining safe operations with a TRIFR of zero

Andy Bull A *
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A Upstream Production Solutions, Level 24, 324 Queen Street, Brisbane, Qld 4000, Australia.

* Correspondence to: andrew.bull@upstreamps.com

The APPEA Journal 63 S296-S300 https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ22070
Accepted: 20 February 2023   Published: 11 May 2023

© 2023 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of APPEA.

Abstract

Upstream Production Solutions Eastern business has completed 12 months maintaining a Total Recordable Injury Frequency Rate (TRIFR) of zero. This does not result from running an inherently safe operation. Maintaining performance has required significant effort in the right areas: Training and competence, and verifying competencies are adequately developed; Setting clear expectations for behaviours, and providing visible management support; Providing the right HSE (Health, Safety and Environment) support in the right areas (with a focus on effort where the risk is); Strong reporting culture, with information captured and communicated positively throughout our organisation, avoiding a culture of blame; Practical risk assessment, with robust risk mitigations put in place and tested; Deployment of the right tools (including Step Back 5 × 5 and Job Hazard Analysis) to support conscious review at the work site, with review and feedback provided to teams; Developing leading indicators and visible reporting; and Management review and continuous improvement building our learning of what works. We have continued to face challenges over the past 12 months of operation and we will present examples of issues identified and corrective actions undertaken, including: Training delivered, but competence not achieved prior to starting work on site; Change in work practises not identified and assessed through management of change process – business is exposed to new risks without robust mitigation in place; and Some of our corporate HSE management practises were not delivering real benefits and had to be changed to support delivery of safe operations. Upstream PS will share practical learnings and examples from the last 12 months of this journey.

Keywords: feeback loops, HSE metrics, lagging indicators, leading indicators, LTIFR, practical effectiveness, safety culture, systems analysis, TRIFR, verification of competency, VoC, weak signals.

Andy Bull joined Upstream PS in 2020 as General Manager, Maintenance – East. Andy brings international experience within the petrochemical industry, having worked for ExxonMobil in the UK and Caltex (now Ampol) based at the Lytton Refinery in Brisbane having held roles as Reliability, Maintenance and Turnaround Manager and more recently Operations Manager. As General Manager Andy is contract owner for maintenance services agreements across our Eastern Region and is accountable for ensuring client’s needs are delivered by providing safe, reliable, cost effective and fit-for-purpose operational maintenance solutions.


References

Meadows DH (2008) System Traps and Opportunities. In ‘Thinking in Systems’. (Ed. D Wright). pp. 111–141 (Chelsea Green Publishing Co)