Two companies collaborating to make real safety improvements: Arrow Energy, Shell QGC and the Queensland coal seam gas industry
Michelle L. Zaunbrecher A C , Timothy Johnston B and Rachael Wood AA Arrow Energy, 39/111 Eagle Street, Brisbane, Qld 4000, Australia.
B Shell QGC, 30/275 George Street, Brisbane, Qld 4000, Australia.
C Corresponding author. Email: Michelle.Zaunbrecher@arrowenergy.com.au
The APPEA Journal 61(1) 58-69 https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ20031
Submitted: 17 December 2020 Accepted: 23 February 2021 Published: 2 July 2021
Abstract
Arrow Energy (Arrow) and Shell QGC have strong collaboration on safety, contributing to direct improvements. This collaboration represents over 50% of exposure manhours for the Queensland CSG sector. The following important trends were apparent.
Personal safety injuries largely with low severity consequence – a large proportion were at, or near, full incident severity potential.
First aid and recordable injuries predominantly caused by slip/trips, strains, caught-between, line of fire/tools/falls from height.
High potential incidents (HiPos), or serious near misses, largely have different causes including: land transport; process safety; drops/heights; electrical; excavation; automated equipment.
Recordable incidents resulted predominantly (over 75%) from routine, low risk activities (tasks not controlled under permit/critical control), and most involved workers conducting activities when working alone (75% or more).
These critical insights differ from the industry accepted safety paradigm, whereby a greater number of low-consequence level incidents will likely have a direct numerical ratio relationship to more serious incidents (HiPos or fatalities), known as Heinrich’s triangle. This is because the causes of the low vs high severity incidents are different for the Arrow and Shell QGC datasets; addressing the causes of low severity incidents will not automatically in turn address the causes of the high severity incidents. Both companies have demonstrated marked improvements in safety performance of recordables when focused improvement programs were applied, and show that improvements to the total recordable case frequency rate (TRCFR) and low severity incidents should not be seen as impenetrable across the industry. Sharing of insights and trends then resulted in these organisations sharing their improvement strategies, most notably the Assist and Assure Program, and the Contractor Partnerships Program. Arrow was able to purposely address these trends, noting good improvements (TRCFR from 3.5 to 1.8); and drilling-related recordable incidents from eight in 2018 to just one in 2019, and 2020. In Shell QGC, the projects (construction) area saw a dramatic improvement with 583 days TRC-free (7 July 2017–11 January 2019); the direct result of leadership programs, workforce engagement and partnership programs with their two main construction contractors. The Assist and Assure Program in the drilling area, saw the recordable incidents improve to just two in 2017, compared with seven (2015) and six (2016).
Keywords: Assist and Assure Program, coal seam gas, CSG, collaboration, safety, Safer Together, safety performance, industry safety, Qld CSG.
Michelle Zaunbrecher has a Geology and Honours Degree in Petroleum Geology and Geophysics. She also has a Master of Environmental Science and Hydrogeology. Michelle has over 30 years’ experience in the resource sector, mostly in the oil and gas area. She has worked for BHP Billiton and BP, and is currently the Vice President Health, Safety and Environment for Arrow Energy. |
Timothy Johnston is the Projects HSSE Manager for Shell Australia overseeing current Shell east coast CSG and Shell New Energies portfolio activities. With a career spanning over 25 years across manufacturing, oil and gas, and construction, Tim is actively involved in leading, supporting and contributing to safety improvements across the industry. Tim holds OH&S and manufacturing qualifications from Victoria University and the University of Melbourne. |
Rachael Wood has a Science Degree in Ecology and Conservation Biology. Rachael has over 10 years’ experience in oil and gas. She has worked for the Queensland Department of Environment and Science, and is currently the Health, Safety and Environment Compliance and Reporting Advisor for Arrow Energy. |
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