OSHA Oil & Gas Safety Conference: December 4 – 5, 2012 in Dallas, TX

Industry Trends

Holiday Depression and Workplace Risk

“I’m a shrink.” That’s how Dr. Bobby Jaine of Texas Tech Health Science began a speech on the Holiday Blues at the Permian Basin STEPS Network in Midland earlier this month.   Holiday depression is an unusual topic for a safety group, especially in an industry that prides itself on its “tough guy” image. But in fact, it was an important and timely message.  The combination of shorter days and holiday stress brings a dramatic increase in depression and safety professionals need to recognize what that can do to employee well-being and on-the-job performance. That was brought home by one of the attendees who said that, during a safety meeting, he noticed that one of the crew stared down the whole time. Sensing that something was wrong, he took the employee aside, realized that the man was depressed and assisted him in getting help. By doing that, he not only helped that employee, but also may have helped avoid an accident that could have injured other members of the crew.  His advice was to use safety talks and other meetings to gauge the mental well-being of the crew. Who doesn’t make eye contact? Whose head is “not in the game?” It was a powerful reminder that depression is an illness, just like any other illness. Recognizing when there is a problem and getting help isn’t a sign of weakness. It is an important way to ensure that personnel are able to focus on the job and avoid injuries.

TWIC Reminder

It is time to make sure employee Transportation Worker Identification Credentials (TWIC) are up to date.  That includes all offshore mariners and many offshore oil and gas workers. The original TWIC program went into effect in 2009 and the cards were good for five years, meaning anyone who got a card during the first year will need to renew in 2013.   Since the first go-around was so chaotic, with somewhere around 1.5 million workers needing TWIC cards, it is likely that the renewal also be marked by long lines and delays. Workboat Magazine, which has followed the TWIC problems very closely, says mariners have already overloaded the systems with early applications. They say the Transportation Security Administration is asking workers whose cards will expire within the next four months to contact their help desk. The help desk number is 1-866-347-8942. However,  a port of Houston information bulletin posted by maritime consultant Dennis Bryant says TSA does notwant cardholders to apply if they are more than four months away from expiration. So, fasten your seat belts – Looks like this is going to be a bumpy ride.

SEMS News: Recent Offshore Accident Lays Out BSEE’s SEMS Approach

The November 16 explosion and fire aboard the West Delta 32 platform is a sobering tragedy for the entire offshore oil and gas industry. It should also serve as a warning to all offshore operators and contractors to review their safe work practices and ensure that they are being followed. There will be extensive investigations and, almost certainly, follow-up recommendations and industry will need to follow that process closely. The incident is also an early indicator of how the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) intends to apply its SEMS rules in the event of an incident. On November 21, the agency issued a letter to the operator, including the following direction on SEMS:

Develop a performance improvement plan that at a minimum:

• Provides documentation to BSEE that Black Elk has complied with the  requirements of 30 CFR Subpart S; 
• Initiates an independent third-party audit of Black Elk’s Safety and Environmental Management Systems (SEMS) program in accordance with 30 CFR 250.1925(a).  Such audits must begin no later than January 31. 2013;
• Integrates BSEE auditors into the third-party audit team: and
• Submit the plan and scope of the audit(s) referenced in paragraph 4 above for approval by BSEE no later than December 15,2012.

The full letter can be accessed here.

Featured Partner

Hagemeyer North America

Hagemeyer is one of the largest distributors of safety equipment and other products to the oil and gas industry. Through of partnerships you will receive between 15 and 40% off all their products. Click here for a special, end of the year promotion on Fall Protection. In order to get your discounts, you must log onto your SSQ Homepage and click the Hagemeyer Discount Button. You can contact Hagemeyer directly by calling Jim Brinson at 985.718.9689 or email him at jbrinson@hagemeyerna.com. Hagemeyer’s website is: www.hagemeyerna.com.

PEC News

New Year…New SSQ!

The year 2013 will bring new and improved questions in the PEC Standard Safety Questionnaire (SSQ). How will the new SSQ affect contractors? PEC Operator Development Team (ODT) members worked diligently over the last six months to ensure the 2013 SSQ reflects current industry needs.  Some ODT members’ contractor scoring may be updated to reflect the availability of new questions and the revision of existing questions. Therefore it is important for companies to complete a thorough review of their Standard Safety Questionnaire answers. Don’t forget that on January 1st, ALL contractor Standard Safety Questionnaire’s (SSQ’s) will become incomplete; which means contractors will be prompted to completeallincomplete sections of the SSQ. If you have released your SSQ to Operators who have specific sections, it will be a requirement that you complete those sections as well. To be safe:

• Review all sections of the SSQ to ensure that answers are complete, current and accurate
• Update your fourth quarter 2012 General Safety Incident Statistics
• Upload your 2012 OSHA and EMR documents for upcoming verifications (If required by your customer)
• Make sure you are aware of your customers’ requirements to insure that your company is in compliance with those requirements

We make it priority number one to inform contractors of their customers’ requirements via phone, email and mail. However, you do not need to wait for us to contact you. Our welcoming Customer Support Department is always ready to answer your questions. You may contact them by phone or email, 1.866.647.2338 or safety@pecsafety.com.

PEC’s Customer Support Department – We’re getting bigger and better 

Over the last year, PEC has increased its commitment to providing friendly, helpful support to EVERY customer on EVERY call. Since the beginning of the year PEC has nearly tripled the number of people who are here to help answer questions and solve problems for our Contractor and Operator clients. One big result is that representatives don’t just wait for the phone to ring.  Currently Customer Support representatives are making calls to PEC Instructors to verify addresses for delivery of the new Basic materials. If Instructors have NOT verified their delivery address, they need to do so in their Instructor Portal.

2013 Contractor Development Team meetings are expanding

In October PEC held Contractor Development Team (CDT) Meetings in Lafayette, LA and Houston, TX.  The meetings were a great forum for discussion on upcoming industry regulations, SEMS, GHS, as well as new and improved PEC services, such as CORE and SSQ Verifications. We were able to hear comments and concerns about the industry and how to improve our services to better assist you, including information to relay back to the Operators. PEC is currently scheduling CDT Meetings for 2013 nationwide and we would like your feedback. Where would you like us to host our next meetings and what industry topics would you like to discuss?  Please contact Diana in the Industry Benefits Department atdiana@pecsafety.com  or 985.327.1314.

Look For Us At…

Safety Fest MT: December 3 – 7, 2012 in Billings, MT OSHA Oil & Gas Safety Conference: December 4 – 5, 2012 in Dallas, TX – Join us at the PEC booth and National STEPS/SafeLandUSA  booth. We will also be speaking on SafeLandUSA in a special presentation at the conference.

HSE Odds and Ends

Safety Quotes

There is nothing like a good quote to make the point on safety. EHS Today is one of the best magazines that caters to the safety professional and its October issue had a number of quotes from its recent “America’s Safest Companies Conference. Some of our favorites: “We’re the only profession in the entire world that gets paid for something not happening. How do you prove that?” – Bill Margaretta, President of the New Jersey State Safety Council. “It makes business sense to improve safety, but if that’s your message, it’s hard for it to resonate down to the floor. [Instead the core message should be,] We don’t want anyone to get hurt.”  – Phil McIntyre, Milliken Director of Business Development and Marketing. “The safety culture is a good indication about the [values and leadership of]a company.” – Peter Riley, Bell Helicopter Executive vice President of Integrated Operations. Do you have a good quote that you use to make the point of safety? Email it to us here.