In this article, e-Med File (EMF) refers to a software that allows entering medical data (from petroleum industry employees) to make critical medical information available for further reference and consultation for the employee and authorized doctors anywhere an Internet connection is accessible.Also some statistical information could be presented for managers or supervisors, for planning and resource allocation purposes, for example.In the petroleum business-especially in oilfield operations-the capacity for adequate medical response in case of common medical problems or life-threatening emergencies is critical, because the working conditions and extreme environments make very difficult-and often impossible-immediate and "proper" medical care, so quick access to vital information could save lives.On the other hand, mobility is usually a characteristic of petroleum employees, where the employee may travel within a country, a continent, or worldwide. In various areas, medical technology might not be appropriate and thus some medical information requiring certain types of technology might be impossible to obtain. With electronic storage, medical data "travels" with the employee everywhere.Also, some applications are recommended to make the software a useful tool in occupational health programs:• Allows locals doctors to extend medical certifications for legal purposes, based on reliable medical records.• Alarm (or high values) laboratory results of an employee are electronically informed to the employee and to key health personnel for further investigation or action.• Follows-up for planned physicals or health controls (for example referrals or additional clinical or laboratory investigation).• Informs in advance about expiring dates of physicals and medical check-ups.• Allows doctors and/or managers to obtain statistical information to present reports for multiple purposes. In this context e-Med Files could play an important role to increase performance of petroleum companies in medical emergencies and occupational health programs.
This paper describes how an oilfield services company in Colombia implemented a new program to complement its traditional safety training, to ensure that new recruits receive not only health, safety and environment (HSE) knowledge but also a strong message from the company about the safety culture inherent in its values.The HSE culture maturity model developed by the oil and gas industry indicates that having a management system is necessary yet not always sufficient to ensure continuous improvement. The authors argue that companies consider a more integral approach and take into account human behavior, corporate values and the culture forming the environment in which the company operates.This integral approach requires a long term strategy allowing some time to pass before the company can see changes in its HSE performance. This becomes challenging when a company enters a period of growth with high staff turnover. In that case, the company needs to be more creative to ensure the full integration of the new employees into its safety culture. This paper examines a program developed for new employees to get them involved in the building of houses for underprivileged families in the communities where the company operates. Each employee receives comprehensive HSE training prior to starting the project. The program objectives include providing new employees with opportunities for community outreach, management visibility and teamwork as well as the hands-on HSE training to give the new employees a chance to put acquired HSE knowledge into practice and demonstrate competency before being exposed to the front line risks of the industry. This paper also describes how the program contributes to the company's long term strategy to minimize HSE risks and develop a more mature HSE culture.
Brazil is the largest country in Latin America. Strict national regulations as well as state regulations are in place regarding the control and transportation of hazardous materials. Oil and gas industry operations require a significant number of long distance trips to transport materials across the country, and it is critical to implement a process that includes appropriate controls to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. In addition to improving the safety of operations, an effective process avoids risk of non-compliance that could lead to the loss of licenses to operate in the country. This paper describes how an oilfield services company developed a process to address all of its hazardous material trips in Brazil. The process includes implementation of a hazardous material transport checklist used by all business units that utilize and transport such materials in company-owned or dedicated contractor vehicles. The checklist was designed to comply with all regulatory requirements of materials used that are considered hazardous. The checklist was designed to take into account not only regulations in Brazil but also the company’s own stringent internal requirements. The paper describes the management of the checklist, how it kept is up-to-date for each trip, and how the process has been integrated in the company’s overall journey management plan. The paper describes the verification process that confirms each trip complies with all the requirements. It also shows how the journey management system monitors the trip in real time, provides feedback to the driver, and notifies both the requester and approver of the progress of the trip. At the close of a trip the corresponding compliance reports are distributed to the various stakeholders involved. The paper also discusses how the process ensures that all trip requesters, approvers, supervisors, and dispatchers have control over the trips.
Health problems faced by employees in the oilfield sector broaden to common and prevalent pathologies that have a higher incidence than in the general population, such as overweight, dyslipidemia (elevation of the lipids in the blood), blood hypertension, and high psychological stress levels, among others.Some of these health problems have clear modifiable factors, for which is possible to effectively intervene in a low-cost manner, obtaining a short-term positive outcome.Medical problems resulting from inadequate eating habits and lack of opportunities to develop a regular physical activity program, particularly in field operations, make overweight and obesity and hyperlipidemias constitute a main biological risk factor for people working in this industry.Health statistics from a multinational oilfield services company operating in Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador show that one out of two employees presents a high cardiovascular risk as a result of these factors. This paper discusses the initiatives taken to reduce this specific cardiovascular risk at the oilfield services company. The Healthy Heart program focused on two of the factors noted: healthy eating habits and regular physical activity.Some of the strategies implemented to achieve both nutritional and physical goals are analyzed. This paper discusses potential benefits for employees and the company: for personnel, implementing healthy, useful and motivating strategies, and for the company, investing in low-cost approaches to control potential expenditure associated with problems derived from these diseases and their biological, psychosocial, and economic consequences.The paper discusses the initial results and benefits of the Healthy Heart program.
When it comes to assessing risks in the oilfield industry, the usual focus is on mechanical, chemical, physical, and even biological and ergonomic risks. Psychosocial risks at work are usually disregarded or neglected. However, some psychosocial risks can be real problems for organizations and could have clear negative impacts on employee performance. Assessing these risks and defining whether they are acceptable is the first step. If they endanger workforce health or morale, action must be taken to obtain positive outcomes and to solve the problems. An additional consideration is that problems derived from inadequate handling of these risks can constitute acute or chronic medical conditions, affecting employees in field operations, or increasing accidents or diminishing productivity for organizations. An oilfield services company has been conducting workplace psychosocial risks assessments, using the simple but effective FPSICO questionnaire. The FPSICO questionnaire, from the Spanish Instituto Nacional de Seguridad e Higiene en el Trabajo (National Institute of Safety and Hygiene at Work; INSHT), is a tool for identifying and assessing psychosocial risks at work. Its aim is to provide information to identify these risks in a particular situation, taking into consideration the task, the time devoted to the task, and the structure of the organization, and then to diagnose psychosocial risks either for the whole or only a particular area of an organization from the individual questionnaires. This paper discusses the results of a psychosocial risks assessment using the FPSICO questionnaire at the oilfield services company in a South American country, from the initial sampling through extrapolation to the whole organization in this country, for first-stage results and then a follow-up control four years later. Particular focus is placed on mental load (intellectual activity level required to perform the job) and temporal autonomy (inability to abandon the task and to self-manage time) based on the results of the initial assessment.
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