Yet again, the oil industry has seen how swiftly and sharply things can change course. Revenues fall overnight, operating parameters deteriorate, and collaboration between the parties is put to the test.
The PSA’s concern is that safety work will also suffer, in part because the problems are pushed further out along the value chain.
That could result in the supplier companies once more having to pay the highest price for the crisis – and the workers most exposed to risk suffering even worse.
The PSA there asks
- how such a development can be avoided?
- how can the important role played for safety in the industry by supplier expertise, technology and management systems be maintained?
- What steps are needed to ensure that the oil companies help to preserve strong and viable suppliers – while also fulfilling their see-to-it duty and overarching responsibility for safety?
“Everyone should stand side by side with the suppliers – for safety’s sake,” emphasises Anne Myhrvold, director general of the PSA.
“These companies are very important. They have a great deal of expertise and much of the technology and resources required to avoid major accidents and ensure a good working environment.
“The challenges are owned jointly by the operator and supplier companies. It is through working together that we can create the good solutions needed to achieve an even better level of safety.”
Read more about our main issue for 2021:
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Supplying safer outcomesThe PSA’s main issue for 2021 emphasises the great significance of the supplier companies for safety in Norway’s petroleum industry.
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One team, shared responsibilityEach company has an independent responsibility for safety, but the operators must make it possible for suppliers to work safely in a good manner.
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Contractor and collaboratorNew forms of contract are emerging in the oil sector, where the concept of “one team” has also been spreading. The question is how these work in practice.
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Surviving at the sharp endInsulation, scaffolding and surface treatment (ISS) companies are among the first to feel the effect of cut-backs and cost savings. So a long-term contract is worth its weight in gold.
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Preventing changes from boosting riskOperating parameters can affect the level of safety through direct and indirect mechanisms. So when they alter, it is very important that both operator and supplier understand the consequences.
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Off their kneesCloser collaboration between operator and supplier is about saving time and money, believes Monica Th Bjørkmann, CEO of Subsea 7 Norway and chair of the Norwegian Oil and Gas Association.
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Main issue for 2021 focuses on suppliers“Side by side with the suppliers” has been identified by the Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (PSA) as its main issue for the coming year, emphasising the significance of these companies for safety in the Norwegian petroleum sector.