BackDROPS Forum - Norwich, 4th October 2012
Greg Reid opened the Forum and gave a Safety Brief. Chris Warne of DSL, who sponsored the event, was introduced, and thanked everyone for attending the first DROPS event in Norwich.
DROPS Update – Greg Reid, DROPS
The recent DROPS updates are:
MEMBERSHIP: We are delighted to welcome the following new DROPS members: Axiom NDT, UK; Perenco, UK; Skysite Offshore, South Africa; All Areas Access, Australia.
DROPS INTERNATIONAL: Over the summer there has been a UK Forum in April, a Forum in Stavanger, Norway and DROPS Asia hosted a Forum in Singapore. Minutes of all events are available online. A Middle East Drops Forum will be held in Muscat, Oman on October 15th. This event is kindly sponsored by PDO. DROPS Training (Train-the-Trainer) will also be available post event. Event information and registration details are posted on www.dropsonline.org An Australian DROPS forum will be held in Brisbane on November 7th. Kindly sponsored and promoted by Arrow and Santos, a key focus of the event will be the unique challenges that face land-based operations, including the region’s Coal Seam Gas (CSG) sector. DROPS Asia is involved in this event and will present a DROPS global update. See www.dropsasia.com
Through Chevron, DROPS USA plan to re-engage and refocus regional members, with a forum being planned for Q1, 2013
FOCUS GROUPS: Of our legacy Focus Groups, thanks to all who have added further data to the DORIS database. Members were encouraged to access and populate DORIS - please get in touch for a User ID if your organisation does not already have one (doris@dropsonline.org)
Reminder to all that we are always looking for assistance with translation of DROPS materials.
2012 Focus Groups now focus on Reliable Securing and Behavioural Safety. Updates on Focus Groups later today. Also, an old Focus Issue – Subsea DROPS – was revisited in today’s forum.
Reliable Securing Course – Harald Myklebust, DOM Group
Harald gave an overview of DOM and gave an outline of the services that they provide. These include Site Inspections, Dropped Object Survey management, DROPS Training etc. The clear message given was be prepared to invest and prepare with regards to preventing Dropped Objects and the two most difficult behaviours encountered by DOM are attitude and pro-activity. We were introduced to their new training course that has been developed for online interactive dropped object prevention. The course themes are Risk during work at heights; Securing devices; Securing of tools; Securing of equipment; Inspection, Identification and control.
The training portal is available via www.trainingportal.no and further information on DOM is available from www.domgroup.no .
Subsea Dropped Object Analysis – Rob Winstanley, Prospect
Rob presented a summary of Prospect, and what service they can provide to an organisation with regards to help eliminating subsea dropped objects. They use a subsea installation analysis which simulates an asset during the move from vessel to subsea location. On the impact side of this, the model shows component stress, deflection etc. The computer model looks at fluid dynamics and subsequent loading which can determine where an object can land on the seabed. Examples of the computer simulations were demonstrated.
Follow this link to download the presentation.
For further information on Prospect, please see their website www.prospect-fs.com
Safe use of Tools at Height – Ian Goodenough, Snap-On
Ian showed a synopsis of Snap-on and the various Tools @ Height that they manufacture. Various lanyards, bags, and tool kits are also available. The lanyards are attachable to a suitable anchorage point. All these products have been drop tested both by Snap-on and an independent test authority. Product and Safety guides are all available as an essential part of the tools @ height system. Further details are available directly from their website www.snapon.com
Safe Bolting – Richard Waddington, Nordlock
We were given a demonstration of the nord-lock washers by Richard. Nord-Lock washers secure bolted joints with tension instead of friction. The system is comprised of a pair of washers that has cams on one side and radial teeth on the opposite side. Since the cam angle is greater than the thread pitch a wedge effect is created by the cams, preventing the bolt from rotating loose. The live demo presented different scenarios using various types of locking systems that were then tension tightened. The vibrating simulation demonstrated how quickly the tension can be either lost or kept the same. Some of the benefits of using Nord-Lock washers are:
- Maintains high clamp load and thereby ensures the function of the joint
- Quick and easy to install and remove with standard tools
- Locking function not affected by lubrication
- Reusable – in addition, Nord-Lock washers do not affect the reusability of fasteners
- High corrosion resistance
- Reliable locking, even for joints with short clamp length
- Secures fasteners at both high and low preloads
- No retightening needed
For full details, please see their website www.nord-lock.com or email info@nord-lock.com.
Lifting in Drilling Areas – Jan Olav Farstad, Statoil
Jan’s presentation outlined the issues that can be experienced whilst lifting within the drilling area. 80% of what happens on a drill floor is related to lifting operations and even the smallest mishap can have major consequences. A few photos were shown of examples where a lifting operation had failed and the resulting damage. Statoil have introduced a 2 day instructor course for all drilling contractor and rig owners and a work process for the Red Zone.
Follow this link to download the presentation.
Tool Control and Management – Steve Davis, Snap-On
Steve presented the tool control technologies that have been developed for the aerospace industry and explained how these can be incorporated into the oil and gas industry. The operational, potential causes, resolutions the incident investigation needs of both industries are very similar. Steve gave a real-time demonstration of toolbox software whereby the control of tools at height is restricted and monitored. For further information on this system please visit
Focus Group, member requests, alerts updates – Greg Reid, DROPS
The legacy groups continuing into 2012 are DORIS, DROPS Translations and DROPS Training & Campaign Packs. Dynamic DROPS group is postponed until 2013.
The updates from the 2 new focus groups are: Overviews of current Focus groups that are being worked are:
- Reliable Securing Update and Technical Review Team - Main objective to update and extend the scope of the Reliable Securing Booklet, also gathering feedback into new methods of retaining/securing; who is using the booklet; what is available out there
- The new SFS book is available now and it will be broken down to identify additional content and verify the information from the existing guidelines. The team will be meeting early November.
- Behavioural issues – Improving Performance with Behavioural change
The group meet regularly and will get their first output issued, as a poster set, within the coming months. This will also be available to download and use as a rolling presentation. Management engagement is a key focus for this group and members will be invited to ask a member of their management to come along to one of the 2013 forums.
Back to Basics – Allen Smith, DROPS
Allen gave an overview of DORIS and emphasised that to date recorded within the database are 2 actual fatalities and over 100 potential incidents. Examples of various items fixed inadequately to structures were shown. The message that he reiterates is back to basics by using the DROPS systematic approach Eliminate, Substitute and Control. This is where the opportunities lie in preventing dropped objects from occurring and can help everyone focus on understanding the causes of dropped objects. He also demonstrated, using the DROPS calculator, the impact of carrying a wrench and it falling from 27 metres. The potential consequence for this would be an LTI. Additionally, a bottle of water was plotted on the calculator whereby it dropped from the same height – the possible outcome scored a fatality. These 2 incidents demonstrate that small and insignificant object can have devastating results.
Open Floor and Any Other Business
Greg and Chris thanked everyone for their participation and invited the attendees to offer any issues for further discussion in the open floor session.