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The role of safety coaching during times of significant change

Brian Smith, contract services group manager, examines the important role of safety coaching during the current period of changing offshore rotas.

The current operating environment in the North Sea is in a state of significant change, especially when we consider the ongoing rota changes that are affecting the offshore workforce.

Safety is always a concern during any type of operational change and the industry is placing considerable attention on the safety of people as rota changes begin to be implemented. With changes already in progress we are beginning to see a skills gap emerge as more experienced personnel choose to retire earlier than planned. This depletion of experience is a cause for concern but can be addressed by placing a focus on safety culture through comprehensive coaching programmes.

In the safety critical area of lifting operations the communication and understanding between the crane operator, slinger and banksman is crucial and we have found that safety coaching for the whole team together dramatically reduces the risk of incidents occurring.

By bringing the team together for combined coaching sessions, delivered by professional safety coaches with on the job experience, at the offshore workplace and not in a classroom, incidents can be reduced on average by 56% and high potential incidents by 100%.

To be successful coaching has to be an interactive process that engages the participants and provides them with a deeper knowledge and understanding of the potential consequences of not following the correct procedures. Having this knowledge leads to people taking ownership of their actions and they begin to think and behave more safely.

In our experience of delivering this type of coaching we know that non-compliances with processes or procedures often happen because either a person is not aware that a standard exists or they have chosen not to follow it because they do not understand the severity of the potential consequences.

Programmes have to be tailored for every installation, a one size fits all approach does not deliver results which is why we developed our ‘Integra’ deck operations safety coaching programme.

Every ‘Integra’ programme has its own unique action plan which includes on-site observation, coaching and appraisals, re-education of lift planning and risk assessment, compliance audits, re-establishing roles and responsibilities, and the implementation of a corrective actions register to monitor and evaluate improvements.

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