Six Steps to Digitizing Your Oil and Gas Safety Program
One of the main reasons software implementations fail is because the scale of the project was too much from the outset.
- By Deren Boyd
- Feb 01, 2022
Oil and gas extraction sites can be transient, accounting for constant changes in environments and people working on tasks and with equipment and materials that pose a high risk to worker safety. With crews and job sites in flux and safety risks high, making the transition out of clipboards, papers, spreadsheets and even emails, might seem daunting, time-consuming and just as risky as continuing to stay with your paper-based system.
The question is, “How can we make the switch from spreadsheets and clipboards to digital EHS software smooth?” Where there is a will, there is a way, and here are some general and easy guidelines for a smooth transition.
Step 1: Collect Your Spreadsheets, Paper Checklists and Any Other Data You’re Recording
Not sure where everything is? You’re not alone. Take some time to think about what kind of data your safety program typically collects. Where are the places that information might live? It’s time to start a bit of a treasure hunt.
On top of the “usual suspects,” like incident reporting forms, consider if there are departments that use a form for a particular task or program, like lockout/tagout. Enlist the help of people from those departments to confirm what they are using and how they collect, store and share that information.
Step 2: Breakdown Your Plan into Something Reasonable, Scalable
One of the main reasons software implementation fails is because the scale of the project was too much from the outset. Be realistic when you set your goals. Consider using the SMART method, meaning identify specific, measurable, actionable, reasonable and timely goals.
You will also want to start small. Which goals are reasonable for achieving in the next 30, 60 and 90 days? Organizing your goals into smaller, more manageable tasks will keep the project from feeling overwhelming and lead you to better success, implementation and buy-in.
Step 3: Identify Your Priorities
When you’re collecting forms that need to transition into digital software, prioritize which ones you’ll need to tackle first. You may want to start with your incident report before moving on to behavior-based safety reporting (near misses and observation reports) or equipment inspection checklists. You’ll need to determine how to collect additional data and get input on corrective and preventative actions.
This step will look different for everyone and starts with a good project plan and assignments to ensure that projects get done, and your process is streamlined.
As you get started, consider who will be responsible for:
This article originally appeared in the February 1, 2022 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.