STEPS Network Meeting May 19, 2004 - Meeting Notes and Presentations

Meeting Notes:

Hosted and facilitated by John Buehrig with ExxonMobil

Purpose: STEPS network is a non-profit group organized to promote the advancement of safety and safety training in the oil and/or gas exploration, production and transmission industry.  The group was founded by dedicated safety and training professional whose common goal is to share ideas, discuss, and seek solutions to identified common needs.

Joe Reina, OSHA, Deputy Regional Administrator, Region VI

• Compliance Assistance and outreach versus OSGHA enforcement: The OSHA mandate is to ensure employees are provided a safe and healthful workplace.  You get to choose which OSHA you deal with, enforcement or outreach.
• The Strategic Management Plan for 2003-2008 is to reduce fatalities by 15%, and injuries by 20%.
• There are seven focus industries. O&G is one of those industries. The seven focus industries had more than 5000 injuries in one year (nation-wide) with half the injuries involving more than 6 days away from work.
• Proven methods of improving safety and health performance include management commitment to safety, employee involvement, training, and worksite analysis.
• Sharing information to reach the common goal of incident free operations
• OSHA Region VI is committed to supporting this organization in their  pursuit of incident free worksites
• OSHCON (OSHA consultation) services are available to employers with 250 employees or less at one site or 500 employees nationwide. OSHCON is a free consultation service available free of charge to small employers to assist them in proving their employees a safe and healthful workplace. This program is administered by the Texas Workers Compensation Commission. You can reach OSHCON at 361-883-2551 and ask for Dan Ferguson.

Introduction of first time attendees.

58 Attendees – 30 contractors, 10 operators, 8 organizations

Sharing of incidents:

Vee Redden, OSHA Assistance Area Director: There were no new fatalities this month and we have gone 2.5 months without a fatality in any industry.  There was a LO/TO incident that was a serious near miss. A crane maintenance man tagged out the equipment, but someone pulled the tag and attempted to start the equipment.  Fortunately for the maintenance man the equipment did not start.  (Remind employees to never remove a tagout tag without verifying who is working on the system)

Gerard Brumfield, Operations Manager for BP for South Texas.  He has seen a positive influence of STEPS on the safety culture in S. Texas.  Vehicles are the highest exposure to injury for many employers in the oil and gas industry.  BP South Texas has gone 2.5 years without a vehicle incident.  Gerard challenged each attendee to take a close look at their driving habits and chose one bad habit and try to eliminate it.

Javier Balderas, Halliburton: Have been looking at driving behaviors and have brought in a consultant to help assess employee behaviors.

• Jason Emery - Excel Driver Services: Change the behavior of individuals while driving. Texas statistics: death every 2 hours and 32 minutes, 341,000 disabling injuries, $9.16 Billion in economic losses.  One in every 125 people will die in a traffic accident.

Mike Chauvin, Specialty Rentals:  Most driving incidents have been excess speed in wet conditions.

Pat Crawford, Texas Workers Compensation Commission: Return to work program.

• Discussed: Cost of lost time injuries, the impact of injuries, employer requirements in regards to return to work.
• PowerPoint presentation is available upon request. (contact Marianne McGee)
• “Developing a return to work program – A resource for employers” (available from TWCC)

Bill Luther, Texas Mutual Insurance Company:

• History of Texas Workers Comp Commission, non-compensable acts,
• Top OSHA citations, Top 5 “causes” of losses and associated costs, hiring procedures, components of an excellent safety and health program, Texas Safe, plus a lot more information.
• PowerPoint presentation is available upon request (contact Marianne McGee)

Glenda Swierc, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality:

• Small business and local government assistance program services
• PowerPoint presentation is available upon request (contact Marianne McGee)

Denise Campbell, Gulf Coast Safety and Training Council:

• Denise Campbell is the treasurer for the Gulf Coast Safety and Training Council was gave a review of their council and how they operate.
• History and experience of the council in serving the purpose of the membership.
• Members must be employed in the oil and gas business and have safety responsibilities.  Membership fee is $75.  They meet every two months with a fee of $20.

Orientation Committee report