Competence as a primary tool in the safety toolkit

Transcription

1 Competence as a primary tool in the safety toolkit Step Change Safety Share Fair Nick Hough, Technical Adviser 30 June 2010, Pittodrie stadium, Aberdeen

2 What is IMCA? International Marine Contractors Association Offshore, marine and underwater engineering companies Nearly 700 members International Contractors - 9 Contractors Suppliers of equipment and services 209 Training establishments Corresponding members (oil companies) - 75 What do IMCA members do? pipelaying, heavy lift, diving, ROVs, survey and offshore construction, operation of specialist marine equipment Where are IMCA members? Asia Pacific 165 Central & South America - 16 Europe & Africa 345 Middle East & India 107 North America - 61

3 What is IMCA about? High standards in health and safety Technology quality and efficiency environmental awareness & protection Self-regulation in the industry Free movement of equipment and personnel globally Equitable contracting regimes Providing a framework for training, competence and recruitment to support and sustain the industry globally Resolving industry issues Promoting co-operation across the industry

4 Emphasis on competence There has been an increasing global emphasis, from regulators and clients, on the importance of using people with proven and demonstrated competence Often part of bid process Its not going to go away

5 Competence and safety

6 Competence and safety

7 Competence and safety A Competent workforce means Less incidents, fewer injuries More production, less downtime Lower costs

8 Competence a safety tool Competence is an important tool amongst others in the modern safety toolkit JRA/JSA/HARC/HIRA Toolbox talks Permit to work PPE People Are people part of the problem or are they part of the solution?

9 Competence a safety tool Personnel as a hazard: They need to be closely managed The less of them the better De-skilling the workplace Less thinking, more procedures Blame in investigations Focus on human error after the fact Personnel as a defence: They need to be competent, alert and there They are a valuable contribution to the business, not just a line on the mission statement How can we make their life easier? Focus on prevention before the fact

10 IMCA competence scheme The IMCA competence scheme: Provides an overview and description of a typical competence assurance and assessment scheme Specifies minimum standards for qualifications and, where applicable, minimum experience required Aims to ensure that personnel are competent to fulfil their safety-critical and other relevant responsibilities and fulfil their roles Provides details of procedures, criteria and recording systems for assessing the competence of personnel engaged in all positions (but especially safety critical positions)

11 IMCA competence scheme Background and history 1987 AODC LST scheme AODC and DPVOA merge to become IMCA 1999 IMCA Competence assurance and assurance scheme launched 2003 revision present 2 nd revision

12 Competence tables Competence assurance academic and vocational qualifications, experience, technical skills, medical certification and appropriate training This is what we need to be SURE that we are getting the right people checking what they say they can do Competence assessment detailed tables setting out knowledge and ability for a range of competences, some common to all, and some specific just to certain technical roles Checking the ongoing development of professional competence of people once hired

13 Competence framework IMCA s scheme is intended to provide a framework on competence assurance and assessment This provides offshore contractors a starting point for developing their own competence schemes Gives the offshore industry clients, regulators, contractors, and suppliers - confidence that personnel can carry out their jobs in a safe and effective manner

14 Implementing competence New personnel enter at the basic grade for their job function Fast tracking exceptionally able people can work towards demonstrating competence at a higher grade than their current competence grade before they are employed as such Performance appraisal is fundamental IMCA does not currently provide guidance on an appraisal system

15 Recording competence Personnel competence is reviewed and assessed against specified criteria and a formal record should be made e.g. in IMCA C 006 Record of Competence Simulators special care may be required in recording progress on training where simulators are used particularly ROV simulators IMCA guidance on simulators should be published this summer

16 Safety critical positions A safety-critical position is defined as A job or function where the individual s judgement, decision or action, including a command, instruction or direction, can influence the safety of other persons, property or the environment

17 Competence assurance Starting point An example - ROV Senior Pilot/Technician (one of over 50 safety critical positions)

18 Competence assurance Entry Level Criteria Offshore medical Offshore survival course suitable for geographical area of work Nominally 360 days offshore experience as Pilot/Technician Grade I and 100 piloting hours as Pilot/Technician Grade I All competences of Pilot/Technician Grade I Acceptance Criteria Current valid medical Current valid certificate Suitable entries in logbook and satisfactorily completed company assessments Suitably completed entries in logbook

19 Competence assessment An example ROV Pilot/Technician Grade II

20 Competence assessment Competence Knowledge Ability Demonstration Preventative maintenance Identification of hazards likely to arise during maintenance activity Risk mitigation procedures to be implemented prior to conducting maintenance on systems Perform planned maintenance in accordance with operational requirements Discuss work to be undertaken with supervisor Carry out system maintenance and complete planned maintenance schedules Report and record work done Approved assessment by company official Logbook

21 Core competencies Essential to all personnel working at any level Can be considered common to all job functions IMCA considers these to be: Safety awareness Emergency response Communication and personnel skills Some work-related activities Knowledge and demonstrable skill levels in these competences will also vary with a person s seniority and level of operational responsibility

22 Competence Knowledge What an employee needs to know Ability What an employee needs to be able to do Demonstration prove it Establishing that an employee actually does have the required knowledge and ability Through assessment and verification

23 Competence Key competence job specific Core competence common to all Brief focus on two core competences: Safety Emergency response

24 Safety Knowledge of safety legislation and regulations Company safety management systems roles and responsibilities incident reporting and risk identification More senior roles need to know how to: Organise and manage team safety Use the safety management system Do risk assessments Encourage and stimulate of accident reporting Encourage safety awareness in subordinates

25 Safety Abilities required can also vary with seniority: Follow safety instructions Participate in an offshore safety induction Locate all relevant health, safety and quality procedures at the worksite Use correct appropriate safety equipment for all deck and worksite operations Assess risks and develop control measures Lead safety briefings for crew and client Brief crew on safety matters

26 Emergency response Knowledge: Roles and responsibilities Thorough understanding of company emergency procedure documents and where to find them Knowledge of how to manage teams in an emergency situation (more senior roles)

27 Emergency response Abilities Raising the alarm and alerting fellow crew Recognising a potential or actual emergency situation and reporting it accordingly Taking the lead role in an emergency situation Ensuring teams understand their own roles and reviewing those roles appropriately Producing concise reports after the fact

28 Demonstrating competence Demonstration of competence, as well as through the usual route of recorded company appraisal and the use of logbooks, includes Being seen to be complying with company accident reporting procedures Showing commitment to safety through setting an example on safety issues Demonstrating safety leadership to subordinates and work colleagues

29 Assessing competence Competence needs to be checked Workplace assessors need to be: Competent to carry out assessments of the personnel being assessed Supervisors or managers with the necessary knowledge and experience to judge the competence being assessed Skilled, knowledgeable and an objective judge of the competence of personnel Suitably trained in competence assessment

30 Verifying competence Competence assessment should be verified A verifiers role is: quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA) of assessments already completed offshore QC - checking the final assessment and ensuring compliance with the required criteria QA - checking that the way the final assessment was conducted was itself authentic and correct

31 Verifiers Ensuring consistency A uniform and consistent approach to competence assessment Support, advise and guide assessors Assessments and records to be accurate and complete Resolving problems Making recommendations for improvements

32 Revisions The IMCA competence framework has been expanded to cover a range of non-safety critical job functions including client representatives Future development of the framework will include further categories of job functions both safety-critical and non-safety-critical: cooks and other catering personnel medics

33 Recent revision Current revision includes: technical updates - changes in technology and operational practices changes to wording improving consistency a number of additional positions have been added, for example: ROV Tooling technicians ROV superintendent

34 Logbooks Logbooks and records of competence IMCA publishes logbooks for Crane operators Diving inspection personnel Diving supervisors Dynamic positioning operators Life support technicians Offshore engineers Offshore managers Professional divers ROV personnel Survey personnel Technicians

35 Freelance packs IMCA has developed competence packs for freelance/agency personnel (currently only offshore survey and ROV personnel) Freelance/agency personnel can then assemble a portfolio of evidence - work records, details on assessments, which can be provided to potential employers in a common format recognised and understood by IMCA member contractors The freelance packs are under review at the current time Updated format, content and wider range of technical disciplines including divers

36 Supporting material FAQs IMCA Competence workshops IMCA Annual Safety seminars The IMCA competence tables are available for free download from the IMCA website

37 Conclusion Competence is a vital part of safety Competence reduces numbers of incidents and injuries Competence saves money Competent people are safe people The IMCA competence guidance framework Minimum standards for qualifications and experience Basis for assessing and proving competence Overview of a typical competence scheme Configurable and adaptable to members needs Not detailed or prescriptive