1. LIFE ON A PLATFORM
Emerging challenges in upstream oil and gas
By
Jas Singh PhD, CIH
International Safety Systems
Kamuela, Hawaii

2. NOAA MAP OF GULF OF MEXICO

3. OIL AND GAS PLATFORM CHARACTERISTICS
Land-based
oil and gas
installation
More Extreme
risks with more
severe
consequences
Offshore oil
and gas
platforms
Isolation

4. LIFE ON A PLATFORM
Assessing the risks related to health and
Safety in the offshore environment, and
developing a well-considered plan of action
to manage those risks has many benefits,
Basket Transfer from Platform to Boat

5. LIFE ON A PLATFORM –THE TARZAN LEAP
Transfer from Platform deck to a boat (the Tarzan jump) in
rough weather

6. AMPLIFYING FACTORS
Stressful Environment
The ever-present threat of fire or explosion can weigh heavily on crew members’
minds. The small space available for crew living quarters can cause mental
stresses that can flare up into interpersonal confrontations. All employees in
remote sites depend on being able to leave them periodically, and in the case of
offshore platforms, employees may not be able to count on taking their leave
time on schedule. This lack of control over their future is a potential cause of
stress.
The 4-men bedroom at
the off-shore rig

7. IH ON OFFSHORE OIL & GAS PLATFORMS
These differences mean that Industrial Hygiene (IH) issues may be magnified
when it comes to offshore operations. The oil and gas industry has come a long
way from the times when a question about programs might bring the response:
“Yes, we have a medical department.”
Now, there is a greater
understanding that IH is not as
much about emergency plans as it is
about taking measures to provide
for employees’ long-term health
and wellbeing day to day.
2010 Deepwater
Horizon Disaster

8. IH RELATED RISKS - AMPLIFYING FACTORS
Isolation and Distance
Many managers in the offshore
industry underestimate the
psychological effects of the offshore
environment.
Employees are often away from home
for weeks at a time, and they may be
coping with stressful news from home
and there is not much they can do
about it.
This can distract them from their work
– in a work environment that contains
many potential hazards.

9. AMPLIFYING FACTORS
Small Area and Tight Confines
The small footprint of most drilling platforms results in a crowded environment.
This means that employees are often called upon to physically carry and move
items, with much repetitive lifting, twisting and bending, with real potential for
ergonomic stress.
An offshore platform - South China Sea

10. GOOD IH PERFORMANCE
Better ergonomics, for improved work quality and productivity
Worker at an oil rig platform

11. WASTE MANAGEMENT
Waste Drums on the platform

12. GOOD IH PERFORMANCE
UK workers on rig

13. THE RESULT OF GOOD IH PERFORMANCE
Better employee morale, for higher productivity
Myanmar Oil worker

14. CURRENT IH SURVEYS ON OIL & GAS PLATFORMS
However, where many companies fall short in their IH
obligations offshore is often around detailed and systematic
assessments of IH risks.
Some of the larger oil and gas companies have well-
developed IH risk assessments, plans and protocols.

15. CHEMICAL EXPOSURES
Specific processes and maintenance tasks present significant potential for
exposure to hazardous and toxic materials. Common chemical exposures on an
offshore platform may include:
 Crude components
 Gas
 Condensate
 Lubricating and hydraulic oils
 Cleaning agents
 Demulsifiers
 Corrosion inhibitors
An offshore platform - South China Sea

16. Drilling Muds
• water based muds
• oil based muds
Chemicals in Drilling Fluids
• bactericides (paraformaldehyde, chlorinated phenols)
• corrosion inhibitors ( zinc carbonate, sodium sulfite, etc.)
• emulsifiers
• foaming agents
• lubricants

17. Most significant exposures may
occur during equipment break-
downs and maintenance activities
such as:
Deck Cleaning
IH EXPOSURES
Vessel cleaning
Changing filters
Changing gaskets, particularly scraping and
sanding of broken gaskets, and cleaning metal
surfaces such as flanges
Painting and paint removal
Maintenance and repair of liquid transfer pumps

18. AMPLIFYING FACTORS
EXTENDED SHIFTS
Typical work shift on an offshore platform is 12 hours
Applying the Brief and Scala method, the exposure limits for 12 hour shifts
would reduce the applicable exposure limit to one half

19. OTHER IH RELATED RISKS & CHALLENGES
 Shift work and extended work periods
 Workforce demographics and long-term health implications on working on
offshore platforms for many years
 Technological advances such as changes to drilling techniques and increased
automation allowing for deeper and more efficient recovery of oil and gas
 Future changes to legislation?
 PSM & API Recommended Practices
 Decommissioning
NG Collection Platform – Gulf of Mexico

20. NORM
Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material
(NORM) – any naturally occurring radioactive
element found in the environment.
 U-238 & Th-232 and decay products
 K-40
NORM category does not include
 Artificially produced isotopes
 Radionuclides used and produced in Nuclear fuel Cycle
o Special Nuclear Material
o (U-233, Enriched U-233 & U-235 & Plutonium)
June 3, 2013

21. IH RISK DEFINITION
In IH, risk is considered to be the product of two factors:
Likelihood
(degree) of
Exposure
Severity or
consequence
rating
RISK
Considering toxicity using
well-established
methodologies to
determine consequences of
contact
Measuring risks, using qualified personnel can help determine which risks are the most
serious ones, for setting priorities into action.
Including the duration of
exposure in hours per day

22. QUALITATIVE RISK ASSESSMENT
While the environment of the
offshore platform contains many
unique IH risks, the steps for
managing those risks are no
different from other work
environments, in particular the use
of qualitative IH Risk Assessments.
Evaluates the
inherent
hazards of
the agents
Estimates the
duration of
exposures
Evaluates the
relative
probability of
exposures
Evaluates the
severity of
exposures
Ranks
(prioritizes)
overall
exposure
risks
Personal Sampling for
Noise and Dust

23. QULITATIVE IH ASSESSMENT - METHODOLOGY
 Field observations of work areas and job tasks
 Employee interviews
 Review of chemical inventories and MSDS
 Select measurements (noise, heat stress, LEV)
 Professional judgment
 Experienced IH

24. CONCLUSIONS
 Traditionally the focus has been more on safety and accident prevention than
on protecting worker’s health
 IH challenges on offshore platforms are magnified and unique due to Isolation
& Distance, Working in Small Areas and Tight Confines, and Stressful
Environment
 New technologies, including changes to drilling techniques, provide new
challenges for occupational hygienists
 Conducting Qualitative IH Risk Assessments on offshore platforms critically
evaluates the various aspects and characteristics of offshore hazards and
develops priorities for actions to prevent, reduce, or eliminate health and
safety risks
 Hazard/Control Banding may be successfully applied in the oil and gas
environment