Personnel on Board: Drill rig safety

There are a variety of safety measures that can be put in place in order to make workplaces like those in the oil and gas industry safer.

A control-based approach to safety is one that focuses on putting controls in place to minimize the risks of accidents and injuries. This approach often involves improving training for workers, more stringent safety regulations, and the use of safer equipment and materials.

There is another approach how to mitigating risks and errors in a highly hazardous environment. Let's call it the learn-based approach. Instead of eliminating failures, the learn-based approach is going to focus a lot more at least on expanding successes and finding out how.

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Personnel on board: FPSO labour market

As the demand for FPSO units and crew increases, the experienced workforce gets harder to find. Competing labour markets (e.g. offshore wind energy), the image of being a "dirty" industry and open questions about a life-long career in this sector pull people away from offshore Oil & Gas. Continuous training, better payment and higher working standards will help stop the bleeding. Safe working conditions on board (offshore HSE) play an additional role in the job decision process (learn more about emergency mustering processes). The best crew will go there where payment, working and oil rig safety conditions are the best to support their families onshore and after their career.

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Personnel on board: The Great Crew Change

In Oil & gas, most engineers and geoscientists are either over 55 or under 35. That said, most of the older employees will be retiring in the next 5 -10 years. With them goes invaluable know-how: real world experience can't be learned in school or watching a YouTube video.

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Personnel on board: Oil Rig Hazards

Drilling projects make big money and take an enormous workforce. The Offshore Installation Manager (OIM) ensures operations are handled efficiently and also help keep the crew safe. Besides coordinating with three to four crews and managing day-to-day drilling activities, he must adhere to oil rig safety practices and follow environmental and other government laws and policies. Not an easy job to oversee a large part of the operations for safety. Most of it is the day-to-day safety of the crew and making sure they have what they need to follow policies.

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Personnel on board: FPSO Operations

Operational safety is paramount for offshore oil and gas production installations, including FPSOs. FPSOs are large offshore production vessels that are designed to produce oil and gas from deepwater fields, store hydrocarbons, and then offload them to tankers or pipelines for transport. They can also process and refine crude oil into various products.

FPSOs are typically moored to the seabed using either anchoring or dynamic positioning systems and have a large deck area for processing facilities and storage tanks. As a result, FPSOs are often used in fields with no onshore infrastructure, or it would be cost-prohibitive to build them.


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Personnel on board: Wind Farm Dangers

In this post, you will find information and an overview of what risks are present in different stages of windfarm operations – from construction to maintenance and decommissioning. It will give you more insights into which areas to focus on while considering the safety aspect.

If it helps to prevent even the smallest incident, it is worth reading it and implementing it in your daily operations in the offshore wind farm. Interested? Then, let’s go.



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Personnel on Board: the POB list

In the offshore industry, where work happens in isolated areas far from the mainland, keeping people safe and secure is absolutely crucial. To help with this, there's an essential tool called the Personnel-On-Board (POB) list. It's a detailed record of every person in an offshore facility at any given time. In this article, we'll explore why the POB list is so important for the offshore industry and how it helps ensure smooth operations, prepare for emergencies, and keep track of personnel.

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Personnel on Board and Walk2Work

Venturing into the vast expanse of the open ocean to get to an offshore job can be quite an adventure, especially for newcomers to the world of offshore work. Now, don't let the term 'Walk2Work' (W2W) fool you. It's not about casually walking to a neighbouring office on a paved path. It's about the strategies and tools that offshore companies have crafted to ensure their teams can journey safely from land to offshore posts and back with ease. But.. how? and why?

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Why Emergency Preparedness is Important

Service Operations Vessels (SOVs) are essential parts of puzzles named maintaining offshore wind turbines and oil platforms. Without them, optimal function cannot be guaranteed. Due to the unstable nature of ocean conditions, operating these vessels demands a combination of skilled expertise, historical knowledge, and advanced technology. The most important? The safety. Of all the crew, equipment, and operations. In just a bit, we'll chat about why emergency preparedness is important for SOVs, leaning on top-notch safety tips.

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Wind farm boats

Wind power can be harnessed more efficiently and consistently on these installations than it can on land. Wind farms can pose some logistical challenges because they're huge and often remote. A key solution to these challenges is Crew Transfer Vessels (CTVs), specialized boats that bridge the gap between shore and offshore. Offshore wind farms can't function without different vessels and CTVs play a key role in maintaining and operating them.

Personnel on board: Oil Rig

Offshore oil and gas production can be a very profitable venture. However, it is vital to avoid costs resulting from incidents. State-of-the-art measures can be taken to prevent incidents, including technology, safety training, and personal protective equipment.

A strong safety culture is vital to preventing accidents and injuries in the workplace. It starts with upper management setting the tone and leading by example. Employees need to feel like they can speak up about safety concerns without fear of retribution. They also need to know that management is committed to protecting their health and safety.

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Personnel on board: Transponders

Transponders are expected to play a role in improving safety and efficiency offshore. The industry is forecast to grow significantly in the next decade as new regulations and standards are put in place. Transponders can offer several advantages to the offshore industry, particularly in health, safety and environment (HSE).

Automated mustering using transponders is a new and efficient way to manage safety in offshore environments. This technology tells you quickly and easily about the whereabouts of workers in an area. In the event of an incident, your display will ensure that everyone is accounted for and safe. Additionally, this information can be used to make informed decisions about how to respond.


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Personnel on board and Offshore Transfers

Workers in the offshore industry face challenging and difficult conditions daily. Traditional methods of transferring crew between installations and vessels, such as helicopter transfers or basket transfers, have been the norm. However, with those methods, huge risks and excessive costs come along, that cannot be ignored.

The emergence of the Walk-to-Work (W2W) approach promises a new era: By utilizing specialized vessels equipped with motion-compensated gangways, this approach has revolutionized offshore crew transfers, enhancing both safety and efficiency.


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Walk-to-work offshore

You know, as our world's thirst for energy keeps on growing, our oceans - those massive, deep blue mysteries - play an even bigger role in quenching that thirst. Now, imagine being a worker in these sprawling energy factories in the middle of the ocean. Getting there isn't a walk in the park. Or... is it? Enter the "Walk-to-Work" offshore concept.

So, what’s the big deal with Walk-to-Work? Picture specialized vessels, almost like those out of sci-fi stories, fitted with unique gangways and systems that balance themselves against the whims of the waves. This allows folks onboard to simply... well, walk to their work on the offshore installation. No more dizzying helicopter rides or shaky boat transfers. It’s just a straight, safer walk. Plus, these systems aren't just about people; they’re perfect for moving equipment and supplies, ensuring everything needed is right where it should be.

Personnel on board: Emergency mustering

When an emergency occurs on an offshore installation, the first thing needed is an accurate headcount of everyone on site. This is where transponders come in, as they can be used to quickly and easily locate people in an emergency. Personnel wear tags, and readers are placed strategically around an installation, such as exits and firefighting equipment.

In order to ensure that everyone is quickly and safely accounted for, it is important to have designated muster areas equipped with readers. A muster plan assigns personnel to specific locations where transponders automatically muster to the system. Transponders also help track personnel movements and ensure everyone has evacuated the area safely. Otherwise, they will transmit the last recorded position of the tag holder.

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Personnel on board: FPSO Safety

Given the hazardous environment, Equinor required an accurate and reliable safety assistant system to localize its personnel in dangerous areas and situations throughout the production vessel. Crew Companion delivers the required real-time visibility for safety by equipping each worker with a transponder. The devices are located via an infrastructure, covering defined areas of the vessels, such as life boats, mustering zones and dangerous sectors. The location of personnel in these designated areas is constantly reported to the control center, providing full visibility for safety of all labor at any time.

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Personnel on board: Monitoring

There are many benefits to using transponders to monitor worker safety. Transponders can provide real-time location information, which can be used to quickly locate and rescue workers who have been injured or trapped in a hazardous environment. Transponders can also track workers' exposure to hazardous materials, allowing companies to manage better and protect their employees. In addition, transponders can help companies comply with safety regulations by providing accurate and up-to-date information on the location of employees.

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Personnel on board: Mustering Report

Offshore, a mustering report is based on the current personnel-on-board (POB) list. The list of personnel on board a ship is an essential document that details who is responsible for what onboard. The list should be completed before the ship leaves port and should be updated as crew members come and go. On offshore installations, the POB list constantly changes as crews leave and arrive at the platform from the mainland.

The Offshore Installation Manager (OIM) ensures that the list is accurate and up to date. They will need to know everyone on board's names, roles, and contact information in an emergency.

If you are working on an offshore installation, make sure you know where the personnel-on-board list is kept so you can update it as needed. It could be the difference between life and death in an emergency as it will feed your mustering report.

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Personnel on board: Walk-to-work system

Workers in the offshore industry face challenging and difficult conditions daily. Traditional methods of transferring crew between installations and vessels, such as helicopter transfers or basket transfers, have been the norm. However, with those methods, huge risks and excessive costs come along, that cannot be ignored.

The emergence of the Walk-to-Work (W2W) approach promises a new era: By utilizing specialized vessels equipped with motion-compensated gangways, this approach has revolutionized offshore crew transfers, enhancing both safety and efficiency.

Personnel on board: Walk-to-work gangway

A big challenge in the offshore industry is safely moving workers between offshore platforms and ships. To tackle this considerable concern, Walk-to-Work (W2W) gangways have surfaced as fundamental engineering innovations, harmoniously blending state-of-the-art technology with rigid safety guidelines.

A walk-to-work gangway combines smart design and safety to tackle risks. This whitepaper dives into walk-to-work gangways, discussing their design, and safety, how they compare to past methods, and why automated checks on crews at sea are vital.


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VW Autostadt Infographic

The Autostadt in Wolfsburg focuses on all aspects of mobility. The theme park and educational centre is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Germany. The Autostadt is also the world's largest new car delivery centre and home to the multi-brand ZeitHaus car museum.