COS announces 2022 Safety Leadership Award winners
ExxonMobil and Oceaneering were each honored with Safety Leadership Awards from the Center for Offshore Safety (COS). The awards recognize companies for their outstanding leadership in developing safety management and performance practices and projects that advance the offshore industry’s culture of safety.
“This year’s winners leveraged research and experience to develop processes and tools to mitigate risks and enhance safety in offshore operations,” said Russell Holmes, COS Senior Director. “The COS Safety Awards provide a venue to share good practices, learn from each other, and support the industry’s commitment to continuously improve safety.”
ExxonMobil was honored for its Enhancing Process Safety (EPS) program, which was developed as part of a multi-year effort. The program includes identification of higher-consequence scenarios, defined ownership of critical safeguards and field-based Safety and Environmental Management System (SEMS) assessments. EPS assessments involve in-field demonstration of the health of personnel and equipment safeguards that prevent or mitigate higher-consequence scenarios. This method allows for understanding how different management systems work together to support healthy safeguards and provides insight on these system interactions.
Since ExxonMobil first piloted the scenario assessment methodology in 2017, a group of assessors has conducted external assessments on more than 50 process safety scenarios across upstream, midstream, refining and chemicals sites. The results of these assessments have provided deeper opportunities for learning and focused the organization on more impactful improvement opportunities.
Oceaneering was honored for its onshore remote operations. The company designed and deployed a subsea, remotely operated vehicle system called Liberty E-ROV, a self-contained, battery-powered Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV). The Liberty E-ROV is operated from a remote onshore location and can conduct subsea work missions for up to two months without a surface support vessel. The combination of the Liberty and onshore remote operating center eliminates the need for vessels and personnel to travel to and from offshore, reducing exposure to high-risk environments as well as offshore injuries and environmental incidents.
Since 2018, the ROV has performed over 100 missions and safely executed 11,300 dive hours moving more than 3,800 personnel days from offshore to onshore. Compared to conventional ROV topside support and service, the Liberty led to more than 75% reduction in topside crew and vessel support.
