Offshore oil and gas marine services company BOURBON placed safety as the first of its 4 pillars of operational excellence

Paris, 28-6-2013 — /europawire.eu/ — BOURBON’s objective is clear: a permanent zero-incident rate for all operations, current and future. Focused on its vision of being the preferred company in offshore oil and gas marine services for the benefit of its clients, employees and all stakeholders, the Group placed safety as the first of its 4 pillars of operational excellence.

Today, the general concern is that a plateau has been reached for safety results in the offshore marine industry, where continuous improvements are becoming increasingly difficult to attain. BOURBON anticipated this plateau by implementing as soon as 2011 its Operational Safety Management (OSM) standard, a milestone in the offshore oil and gas marine services industry.

Full compliance with clients’ expectations

Oil and gas major companies, national oil companies, contractors, all are adapting to increasingly stringent requirements. “The recommendations of the Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF, a body of more than 80 oil and gas companies) are currently paving the way for change in safety standards and will more and more become a prerequisite for offshore operations”, explains Gaël Bodénès, BOURBON Chief Operating Officer. “The OCIMF’s system relies on self-assessment and self-evaluation. The main innovation in our approach has been to turn the OCIMF’s self-assessment system into BOURBON’s own OSM. This way, we can pursue a goal of standardizing BOURBON’s processes in full compliance with our clients’ expectations.”

An operational standard for every task, onshore and offshore

April 2011 was marked by the implementation of the standard. BOURBON’s goal for 2013 is to reach the level 2. By 2015, in accordance with its BOURBON 2015 Leadership Strategy plan, the Group aims to reach the 4th and last level of OSM, which translates into operational excellence.

As safety does not start at sea, OSM is designed to create a comprehensive state of mind where everyone is involved, onshore as well as offshore. This standard embraces every department, from maintenance to crewing and operations, and every BOURBON affiliate. Each requirement is clearly defined, then managed and assessed, driving continuous improvement in standards, identifying and managing risk in all operational aspects.

To guide its employees through this key change, BOURBON is putting in place training and educational initiatives. As an example, an OSM Brochure allows all stakeholders, employees and clients, to follow and evaluate BOURBON’s progress.

“For BOURBON, safety is a true indicator of operational excellence” says Chris Dixon, BOURBON’s HSE Vice President. “OSM seeks to radically change the mentalities, making them evolve from a reactive to a proactive approach on safety issues. With the dedication of all employees, BOURBON is thus in line with its objective: zero incidents in a permanently safe operational environment.”

Contacts

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Communication Department
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