Tengizchevroil, Kazakhstan
Tengizchevroil (TCO), the vast Chevron-led exploration and production joint venture in Kazakhstan, achieved world-class safety performance in 2000-2001. Although the record regrettably ended late in 2001, TCO achieved a remarkable safety performance.
At TCO’s Tengiz Field, employees of different nationalities and languages work shoulder-to-shoulder, major construction equipment roams the field for most of the year, and weather conditions rank among the globe’s most extreme. Despite such obstacles, by October 2001, TCO’s staff of 3,200 had posted some 17 million hours – almost three years – without a lost-time incident.
When Chevron arrived in 1993, TCO faced a major challenge when it came to that most important element of oil field operations – safety. The initial concern: high-pressure temperature reservoirs containing poisonous H2S. Up to 6,000 workers slept in the field each night, and operating headquarters were inside the field’s sour gas plant. TCO moved workers to off-field housing, relocated its offices, limited employee access in H2S areas, and upgraded gas processing facilities. TCO upgraded fire-fighting capabilities, provided safety training and protective gear, and standardized emergency procedures.
By 2000, these efforts had evolved into the Safety Management System (SMS) that today consists of a Land Transport Safety Management System, Process Safety Management, Behavior Observation and Modification, a Near Miss Incident Reporting System, and TCO-wide safety awards and bonus pay programs. Other elements include Emergency Response Preparedness, an Incident Command System, equipment maintenance and inspection, regulatory compliance, and Employee Safety Certification Training.
But the key is SMS’ full integration into business plans, management performance reviews, and employee activities. Workers report unsafe conditions, and submit safety ideas for management implementation. All TCO meetings begin with a “Safety Moment.” Before receiving accommodations or meal tickets, every new Tengiz worker must attend safety training. Multilingual booklets, management messages and videos, plus on-site workshops, reinforce the message.
TCO also implemented a “Lost Profit Opportunity” safety metric that analyzes the bottom-line cost of plant upsets and other “non-planned” events. By late 2002, more than 10,000 personnel had completed the field’s Contractor Safety Training Program.