5 ways bp prioritizes people safety in the Gulf of America

In the Gulf of America, bp has nearly 1,300 people working to produce some of the highest-value, lowest-emissions-intensity barrels of oil in the company’s global portfolio.

 

In fact, bp is one of the Gulf of America’s largest oil producers, operating five major production platforms in the region: Argos, Atlantis, Mad Dog, Na Kika and Thunder Horse, and a sixth, Kaskida, expected to produce first oil in 2029. Between 2022 and 2025, the company will invest more than $7 billion into its Gulf of America business, with the goal of boosting capacity to produce above 400,000 barrels of oil equivalent from the region every day. In many ways, the Gulf of America is one of the most vivid examples of how bp is investing in America.

 

It's no secret that working in the Gulf of America is challenging. That’s why bp prioritizes safety, in the Gulf of America and across the company’s global operations. This means the company is working diligently to make sure the company’s employees and contractors return home safely.

Here are just a few of the ways bp is working to keep its Gulf of America employees safe while they focus on continued production and growth in the region:

1. Principles to keep bp’s people safe

bp’s personnel in the Gulf of America includes 250 contractors working in the basin who are integral to bp’s operations. Making sure contractors are fully supported to work safely is critical to the company’s goal of eliminating Tier 1 process safety events, which are the most serious process safety events, including fatalities and life-changing injuries.

 

That’s why bp hosts a quarterly contractor forum – a dedicated space for bp’s contractors and leaders to talk about safety. Using the company’s Safety Leadership Principles and Process Safety Fundamentals, as well as the Life-Saving Rules, everyone can collaborate on how using those guiding rules can make their day-to-day operations safer each and every quarter.

 

One of the Safety Leadership Principles empowers both bp employees and contractors to speak up when something does not seem right and to stop work if they have concerns. The intention is to create a work culture where everyone feels psychologically safe in the field and is comfortable in taking action if necessary.

2. Leveraging digital technology for better planning and monitoring

bp’s Argos platform is using “digital twin technology,” a highly accurate, comprehensive model of the facility that enables individuals to monitor Argos from bp’s US headquarters in Houston, roughly 300 miles to the northwest. The software, which can be accessed by any of bp’s offices, includes the platform’s complex web of pipelines and processing equipment.

 

The technology improves safety in a number of ways. For example, it was recently used to remotely plan an inspection campaign of 300 valves on Argos to ensure they are being maintained correctly per our engineering specifications. Properly operating valves are needed to ensure safe operations and isolation of our plant during routine maintenance.

 

Monitoring from shore, the team was able to map out the valves, create a plan and gather equipment, all without physically traveling back and forth to the platform. Using the twin, the time to complete the inspections was reduced by 50%, helping to accelerate this safety-critical task and many others like it.  The technology is in use across all five of bp’s operated Gulf of America platforms and in other regions, as well.

3. Deploying other cutting-edge technology to reduce risk

In addition to the digital twin, bp is using drones to inspect tanks in its Gulf of America platforms that hold sea water, diesel, crude oil and more.

 

Drones enter the tanks while bp employees and contractors monitor video and data from nearby, eliminating the need for them to enter confined spaces.

 

By using drones to inspect the tanks, instead of people, bp can eliminate roughly 200 to 400 hours of high-risk work per asset during each annual inspection campaign. And not only is it safer for bp’s employees and contractors, but the drones can gather videos and photos of hard-to-reach places as well as ultrasounds testing data to measure wall thickness of piping in the confined space.

4. Weather safety

Heat indexes on bp platforms in the Gulf of America can reach between 125 to 130° Fahrenheit. Helping to keep bp personnel on the platforms cool is critical to their ability to safely make decisions and follow protocols.

 

That’s why bp started a pilot project on the Mad Dog platform for all offshore personnel to use specially designed, lightweight, cooling, fire-retardant clothing. All offshore personnel are required to wear fire-retardant clothing in case of an incident, yet it is often heavy with minimal ventilation. The coveralls being used on Mad Dog have vents located on the back and are made from lightweight material that reduces the clothing’s weight and allows for air flow.

 

But the new clothing is just the beginning of the heat management bp is doing on Mad Dog. Heat stress meters are being used to provide real-time data of the current heat risk on the platform. That information helps the team with work-to-rest ratios, identifying the best locations to place cooling evaporative fans and hydration requirements for personnel. For hydration, test systems have been installed in bathrooms that includes a simple chart, allowing the team members to self-monitor and regulate hydration.

 

It’s not just the heat that puts people at risk on bp’s platforms, but also severe weather events, especially during hurricane season. bp’s meteorologist, Mike Fuori, distributes forecasts to the Gulf of America team twice daily, seven days a week. He leads hurricane preparedness sessions, sharing what he expects to see for the upcoming season. And, proactively reaches out to educate offshore-based employees on the rationale behind his weather pattern projections.

5. Training bp’s future leaders

bp’s health, safety, environment and carbon (HSE&C) early careers program gives recent college graduates experience working at the company with an opportunity for full-time employment. Participants are placed in bp’s businesses across the globe, including in the Gulf of America.

 

The program is designed to emphasize safety as it gives the participants a start to their careers at bp. They are placed in teams with experienced safety professionals and visit platforms in the Gulf of America to learn how work there actually happens. The participants take helicopter training before visiting, do a safety orientation once they arrive and shadow the HSE&C site lead at the facility.

 

In addition to learning about safety at bp, the graduates also make it a safer place to work. Current participants are developing safety resources that focus on specific Process Safety Fundamentals  including engaging videos, case studies and discussion prompts for all frontline employees.  

These five aspects reflect bp’s belief that every incident is preventable. Technological improvements, a focus on early training and constant communication, with a continuous drive to learn and improve, go a long way toward reaching that goal. Simply put, everyone must go home safely when their shift is done – full stop.