Other Recent Articles

The Drake Well Service Project
The Total Recordable Incident Rate or TRIR would be one measure of the success of this project.
by Chris Hatton

The H&p Project
As of November 1, 2009 their TRIR had dropped to 1.32, a 60% reduction since the project inception.
by Kent Swanson

The Aztec Well Service / Sss Project
The focus on Cultural Change within the family of AWS companies has had a positive effect that has contributed to an overall improvement in safety performance.
by Jimmy Hart

The Dawn Trucking Project
The positive results enjoyed by the "Improving DOT safety metrics" project gave the management team the confidence to tackle other safety-related projects
by Jim Aylward

Success Story: The Unexpected - Zero Total Recordables (trir), Zero Lta
"We could have reached this goal on our own, but not in such a timely or positive fashion had it not been for the help of The Angelina Group."
by Chris Hatton

Success Story: Focusing Crews Overcomes New Technology Jitters
"The Angelina Group's people first approach to managing the Continuous Improvement process was a significant contributing factor in this remarkable turnaround."
by Scott Ratchinsky

The Silent Consent Theory
We, as behavioral consultants, must adhere to a set of standards that exceed what we see demonstrated. We must set examples to be followed by others.
by Jimmy Hart

Developing Human Capital
It seems to be self-evident - greater investment in human capital is the answer.
by Scott Ratchinsky

Leadership Program
The Angelina Group's Well Site Leader Team is committed to insure that the ConocoPhillips desire to be a leader in their industry is fulfilled with a "People First" attitude.
by Dennis Lynch

The Role Of Media In The People Business
Media is communication. And speaking simply - communication equals productivity.
by Clayton Miller

Articles by the Angelina Group

 

The Well Site Leader Program

by Ken Hovland

The Angelina Group has completed a three-year project embedded within the ConocoPhillips San Juan Basin Implementation Team and several of its key contractors. The project at its peak entailed 5 two-man teams working at arms length within Aztec Well Service, H&P International Drilling, Drake Well Service, Bearcat Drilling, Triple S Trucking, Dawn Trucking as well as a two man team who worked within and in support of the ConocoPhillips Implementation Team. The Angelina Group's focus was on cultural and behavioral change as a part of a strategy to improve the overall safety performance of the ConocoPhillips San Juan Basin Implementation Team. The result of the collective effort of the Angelina Group, SJB COPC safety professionals and the SJB COPC senior management team is that the San Juan Implementation Team currently possesses the best safety record within the L48 as measured by the Total Recordable Incident Rate.

The following recommendations have come from observations by The Angelina Group as well as from interviews with some of the safety and management personnel within the Implementation Team.

The San Juan Implementation Team currently possesses the best safety record within the L48 as measured by the Total Recordable Incident Rate.

• Utilize written messages and personal follow-up as much as possible for the delivery of senior management safety and operational expectations.


• Public, large scale communication like the Third Thursday Safety Meeting needs to continue to be positive and celebratory in order to generate momentum.


• Support effective communication during contractor FIT meetings by providing the contractor with agenda direction and support where necessary.


• Nurture new and front-line behaviors by noticing attempts, not correcting early efforts.


• While seeking standardization, continue to encourage contractor ownership of their own programs, processes and procedures and fight against the tendency to force SJB standardized formats on them. While expectations should be consistent across contractors, formats should be flexible.


• With the current reduced activity level, increased senior management field presence should be carried out by the rig superintendents. Some re-prioritizing of their current office duties may be required to elevate this activity from a "when time permits" to a "must do" level. Further it is recommended that some field time be allotted to one-on-one conversations with well site leaders, as opposed to field time spent in group functions only.


• As soon as the high activity level resumes, it is recommended that the drilling department re-establish the Field Supervisor position. Field supervision will be most effective if the role comes with a clear expectation for performance coaching.


• Modify the Third Thursday Safety Meeting so that on alternating months the rig superintendents could meet with just their WSLs after the main meeting. This could serve as an opportunity to give everybody the same message, to share ideas and to air concerns within a small group setting.


• Specific subject matter should be incorporated at the Third Thursday Safety Meetings as a more frequent supplement to the SLS Training / re-training.


• The SLS follow-up at safety stand downs should have a greater emphasis on active learning components such as taking action on approaching an employee.


• The HSE Rewards program needs to be driven by the COPC Leadership Team.


• To reduce intimidation and increase effective discussion, program and procedure reviews should be facilitated by a leader that does not have a direct impact on the findings of the review.


• Continue to support safety and operational innovation by openly encouraging and publicly rewarding not just the innovations adopted but also those who are submitting and contributing to a culture of thought.


• A robust Lessons Learned program would be a valuable addition to the SJB Implementation Team.


• The agenda for the Bi-weekly Leadership Team Meeting should encourage attendees to:


• Share their field observations of how well programs are being implemented.


• Give public reinforcement of positive leadership actions they have witnessed.


• Discuss observed issues and opportunities that impact the broad group in attendance.


• A Rig Superintendent should be appointed as the relationship manager for major contractors to foster better understanding of each party's environment.


• Use the expertise of senior WSER staff as part of the WSL interview process to dig deep into the candidate's alignment with current COPC safety expectations prior to new hiring as rig activity returns to past levels. Utilize questions from the Rig Assessment process as a starting point to determine the candidate's alignment.


• An in depth orientation program should be developed for all new rig crews and WSLs. Prior to beginning operations, safety leadership training supplemented by a thorough review of all COPC and Contractor HSE programs would be a minimum requirement.


• A strong field presence through an assigned 24/7 WSER in a teaching & coaching role for the first month or so would be a valuable part of the new rig program.