Safety and health

Overview

Stand Together for Safety

Stand Together for Safety is a ‘stop work’ safety event held annually across the Australian oil and gas industry, contributing to improved and sustained safety performance. Teams stop work on a designated day to have a dedicated conversation about safety in relation to their workplace. Industry cooperation on this event highlights that safety is not a competitive issue. Collaboration is an effective way of reinforcing that success in safety relies on all parties – managers, supervisors, employees and contractors – working together to bring about significant and sustained improvement.

The fourth official Stand Together for Safety event's ‘kick-off’ date was on Monday 1 May 2012. The program will roll out through May.

For more information see: www.standtogetherforsafety.com.au

To view a video, go to: www.standtogetherforsafety.com.au/video

Overview

The oil and gas industry works with high pressure and flammable fluids often at the cutting edge of technology and in sometimes hostile operating environments. But for more than a decade, the petroleum industry's safety performance has been better than those in the construction, transport, manufacturing and mining industries.

Over the last few years, the oil and gas industry has worked collaboratively to deliver significant improvements in safety performance.

In 2009, hours worked across the industry increased, yet a 26% improvement in lost time injury frequency rate (LTIFR) was achieved (recorded as 1.22). An 11% improvement in the total recordable injury frequency rate (TRIFR) was also realised (recorded as 6.02).

In 2010, the APPEA Board reviewed its health, safety and operations priorities and agreed to develop a new collaborative safety strategy for the Australian oil and gas industry. This strategy will focus on major accident events and on personal safety. Engagement with oil and gas contractors will be a major component.
APPEA's Incident Reporting Guidelines also help ensure that safety performance can be tracked for the entire industry, and can broken down into each of the major sectors (offshore and onshore, including the coal seam gas sector).

 

Health, Safety & Operations Committee

The APPEA HSO Committee meets quarterly. It aims to: promote high standards of occupational health and safety and operational efficiency among petroleum explorers, producers and contractors; facilitate the ongoing improvement of industry safety performance; and provide a forum for exchanging ideas on government regulations and industry standards covering safety and operations. For more information on the APPEA HSO Committee, including membership and the current work program, please contact Leanne Drewitt, Senior Project Officer – People Strategies.

 

APPEA HSO strategic priorities

  • Process safty/asset integrity
  • Emergency management
  • Competence
  • Contractor engagement
  • Sharing lessons and good practice

 

 

     
     

    Safety guidelines and data reports

     

    APPEA Safety Performance Data

    APPEA’s safety data reporting and performance reports are an extremely important tool to allow the Australian oil and gas industry to benchmark its performance against itself, other Australian industry sectors, and foreign petroleum industries. The data collected also allows the industry to identify any trends warranting further action. This benchmarking process makes a major contribution to the industry’s goal of continual improvement in all aspects of its operations, and of reducing the chance of a serious incident.

    Every year APPEA collects and collates safety performance data from the Australian oil and gas industry. Members contributing to the data represent the vast majority of exploration, development and production activities in Australia, both onshore and offshore and including all of the contractors working for these members.

    Since 2010, APPEA has presented the summary safety performance data in the Year in Review publication released annually in October.

    Prior to 2010, the safety performance data was presented in the biannual Health, Safety, Environment and Sustainability report.

     

    Offshore safety

     

    Safety Incident Reporting Guidelines

    These guidelines provide advice for APPEA Members on requirements for reporting safety data to APPEA.  Published in 2005, the guidelines are being reviewed; an updated version will be published in 2011/12.

    Download Safety Incident Reporting Guidelines - March 2005

    Click here to request postage and handling costs for a free hard copy



     
     

    Safety publications

    APPEA publishes a wide range of safety information and documents, including:

    • Common Safety Training Program (CSTP) materials
    • High-potential incident alerts
    • Sharing Safety Solutions case studies
    • Safety Conversations for Supervisors & Manager
    • APPEA Safety Performance Data


    Common Safety Training Program information:

    See the Common Safety Training Program page of this website

     

    Incident alerts

    High-potential incident alerts are distributed by APPEA for the Australian oil and gas industry to highlight learnings from incidents.

    In 2009, APPEA introduced a new requirement for members to report high-potential incidents as part of the safety performance reporting process. A high-potential incident (HiPO) is an accident event or happening of a serious nature that: results in a Major Accident Event (MAE) performance standard not being met; results in a loss of containment; or could cause a fatality or multiple fatalities.

    If you have any queries regarding the incident alerts please refer to the contact details featured in the attachment or contact Leanne Drewitt, Senior Project Officer – People Strategies

     

    Sharing Safety Solutions

    Sharing Safety Solutions case studies are produced by APPEA in conjunction with the HSO Committee to highlight innovation and best practice in the Australian oil and gas industry.

    Anyone from the oil and gas industry can submit a ‘Sharing Safety Solution’ to APPEA’s HSO Committee by sending information to Leanne Drewitt, Senior Project Officer – People Strategies

     

    Safety Conversations for Supervisors and Managers

    These materials are intended to provide assistance to supervisors in the oil and gas industry within their difficult role as the link between the workers and senior management.Using these materials should give you some information and guidance on being a ‘supervisor’ and on how to more effectively lead safety in your workplace.

    These materials are being developed by Optimus Safety Management (Australia)

     

    Self-audit checklist for offshore operations

    This document provides a self-audit tool to help title-holders facility operators' and service providers align their operational management systems and plan, prepare and execute well activities.

     

    APPEA Safety Performance Data

    Every year APPEA collects and collates safety performance data from the Australian oil and gas industry. Members contributing to the data represent the vast majority of exploration, development and production activities in Australia, both onshore and offshore and including all of the contractors working for these members.

    Since 2010, APPEA has presented the summary safety performance data in the Year in Review publication released annually in October.

    Prior to 2010, the safety performance data was presented in the biannual Health, Safety, Environment and Sustainability report.

       
       

      Common Safety Training Program

      Australia’s oil and gas industry has adopted the Common Safety Training Program (CSTP) for all personnel working in offshore production and drilling facilities.

      The CSTP aims to ensure that all new and existing employees have the same core foundation of safety skills.

      As of 1 January 2012 it is expected that employers have processes in place such that:

      all new employees attain a CSTP card; and

      all existing workers have CSTP cards or are working towards attaining a CSTP card.


      Who is required to hold a CSTP card?

      • All personnel new to the industry who begin work at an offshore production or drilling facility are required to undertake an off-the-job behaviour development and demonstration training program followed by safety behaviour observation in the workplace to attain a CSTP card.
      • All existing personnel who meet the experienced worker definition will have to go through a combined Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and safety behaviour observation process to attain a CSTP card.
      • Personnel who are frequent visitors offshore to a production or drilling facility; that is, they spend more than five consecutive nights on an offshore facility or undertake six or more visits offshore within a 12-month period must also attain a CSTP card.


      Offshore construction workforces on construction vessels are currently exempt from this requirement. But contractors expecting to work in the Australian oil and gas industry on offshore production or drilling facilities must work towards having their personnel issued with CSTP cards.

      There are two pathways to obtain a CSTP card:

      1.A new start program involving a three day off the job behaviour development and demonstration training program followed by safety behaviour observation in the workplace.

      2. The experienced worker program is available through a recognition of prior learning (RPL) process that replaces the off the job component but still requires the observation of prescribed safety behaviours in the workplace.

       

      Process for new starts

      1. New starts participate in a hands-on training program that requires them to demonstrate industry-prescribed safety behaviours (see below for training organisations authorised to provide CSTP).  On completing the course participants will receive a Training Organisation Observed Safety Behaviour Confirmation as evidence that they have successfully demonstrated the required behaviours during training.

      2. The employee must then demonstrate these behaviours in the workplace. It is the supervisor’s responsibility to observe them over two swings and, if the behaviours are demonstrated, sign off the checklists in the Workplace Safety Behaviour Observation Checklist.  The worksite retains the completed checklists and forwards the Workplace Observed Safety Behaviour Confirmation to APPEA vie email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

      3. The employee’s card will be issued once the workplace and the training organisation confirmations have been recorded in the national CSTP database.

      Process for experienced workers

      1. Evidence of the successful completion of safety-based training undertaken or the holding of a Minimum Industry Safety Training (MIST) card or equivalent must be seen and recorded. An induction program must be completed on site. Guidance on Recognition of Prior Learning lists suitable training program types and their relationship to the key behavioural  modules

      2. Supervisors must observe the experienced workers' safe working behaviours over two swings, checking them off against those specified by the industry (see Workplace Safety Behaviour Observation Checklists). 

      3. Once each observation checklist is complete, the supervisor or verifier is to sign off in the section provided. The documents are then kept as part of the workplace’s evidence (to verify that the process was undertaken correctly).

      4. Next the Experienced Worker Observed Safety Behaviour Confirmation is to be completed and signed.

      5. This confirmation is to be emailed to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it along with a digital head and shoulder image (passport-size photo).  Once these documents are recorded on the CSTP database (maintained by APPEA) and payment of the fee of $110 (inc GST) is received a CSTP card will beIndividual payments can be made by EFT to APPEA (details on Experienced Worker Payment Form).  Alternatively, if a company is putting several experienced employees through the CSTP, an invoice system can be set up with APPEA.

      6. Each CSTP card issued will have a unique number. Most people already in the workplace have been provided with an ID number (eg employee number) that they must include on the signed Experienced Worker Observed Safety Behaviour Confirmation.  The CSTP card for experienced workers will carry this employee ID number preceded by a four-character reference for the organisation. 

      For more information contact Leanne Drewitt, APPEA Senior Project Officer – People Strategies on 08 9426 7202 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

       

      CSTP documentation for the new start program:

       

      CSTP information and documentation for the experienced worker program:

       

      CSTP information for workplaces:

       

      CSTP documentation for the coal seam gas sector:


      Training organisations authorised to provide CSTP:


      Western Australia

      Queensland

      Victoria

      Red Alert Australia www.red-alert.com.au

       

      Northern Territory

      Accrete www.accrete.net.au

       


      APPEA and the CSTP Industry Advisory Group are currently working with several organisations to authorise them to deliver CSTP in Northern Territory, South Australia and Victoria.

       

      For further information on applying to become an authorised training organisation for CSTP, click on the following links or email the Independent Reviewer, Alf Standen at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

       

      National OHS Harmonisation

       

      Currently all Australian states and territories are responsible for making and enforcing their own work health and safety laws. Although these draw on a similar approach for regulating workplaces, there are some differences in the details and application of the laws.

       

      In December 2009, the Commonwealth, state and territory governments agreed that a standard approach to work health and safety laws would improve productivity and consistency and reduce the administrative burden on industry. The governments endorsed the Model Work Health and Safety (WHS) Act and agreed to enact mirror legislation in each jurisdiction.

       

      A model Codes of Practice and a nationally consistent compliance and enforcement policy are now being developed. It is intended that the Model Work Health and Safety Act, model WHS Regulations and Codes of Practice will begin operating in January 2012.

       

      In its submission on the Model WHS Regulations, APPEA made it clear that the oil and gas industry supports a harmonised approach to OHS legislation but that the offshore petroleum industry must retain its own performance-based safety regulation regime, which is based on higher safety standards than general OHS regimes across Australia.

       

      But other parts of the industry will be affected by the changes. OHS legislation administered by the States and NT regulators does apply to sections of the oil and gas industry, including onshore petroleum, the coal seam gas sector and major hazard facilities. In addition, some types of activity such as the construction of LNG projects are covered by the various OHS authorities and their Acts and Regulations.

       

      APPEA sees the potential for confusion in interactions between the Model WHS reforms and the many state-based Acts and Regulations that will continue operating. The Model WHS reforms will also affect existing electricity safety, dangerous goods and pipeline regulatory regimes, as well as industry-specific WHS regimes in various jurisdictions.

       

      APPEA’s key concerns with the content of the model Regulations are:

      § The increased level of prescription and administration imposed by the Regulations.

      § The lack of clarity and guidance available about the relationship of the Regulations with existing State and Territory hazard-specific legislation.

      § The impractical consequences of some of the Regulations.

       

      Industry has not had enough time in which to appraise and respond to the draft regulations. Companies have been unable to accurately determine the initial costs of implementing significant regulatory change or the ongoing compliance costs associated with what remain highly prescriptive regulations. However, APPEA estimates that at least two years will be needed to implement and roll out the necessary changes across industry.

       
       

      Forums and events

      Stand Together for Safety

      In May 2011, companies across the Australian oil and gas industry participated in the third Stand Together for Safety event.

      Stand Together for Safety is a stop-work safety event held annually across the Australian oil and gas industry. It provides a designated time for executives and senior managers to discuss safety issues directly with frontline workers.

      Industry-wide collaboration on this event sent a clear message that safety comes first. More than 25,000 people have participated in the 2011 Stand Together for Safety event. Key messages included ownership, accountability, competency and leadership. Senior managers visiting sites across Australia reinforced the message that safety leadership must be demonstrated at all levels within an organisation.

      CEO Safety Leadership Group

      Chief executives across the Australian oil and gas industry participate in an annual CEO Safety Leadership Forum. This development of this forum in 2007 was a critical step to provide necessary alignment of initiatives across the industry operators and contractors as well as the allocation of resources required to implement the actions.

      For more information on the APPEA CEO Safety Leadership Forum, including membership and the current work program please contact: Miranda Taylor, Director - Skills & Safety.

      Other safety events

      For information on other safety events – the National Oil & Gas Safety Conference and the Health & Safety Representatives (HSR) Forum – see the events section of this website.

       

       
       
       
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