According to Investopedia, in 2015, the oil and gas industry accounted for between 4.6 and 6.5% of the global economy. In a recent discussion I had with a friend, we spoke about the effect this industry has on the lives of so many people. Many of the effects are positive, and, as we see in the current discussions of climate change, some are potentially negative. As Janeen Judah, 2017 SPE president, stated in her April 2017 JPT column, we have the power to build sustainable communities and improve the lives of people where we operate. Our innovation across all aspects of health, safety, security, environment, and social responsibility not only helps our industry reduce the chances, or consequences, of unplanned events but also may help develop the capacity of a country or village to take care of its own citizens.
Some of these recent improvements can be seen in the papers that follow, from understanding well control and human factors better to using robotics to remove people from hazardous environments. We also see increasing interest in effects on the environment from our activities in the form of publicly funded studies on the potential for groundwater contamination. At the 2017 SPE Health, Safety, Security, Environment, and Social Responsibility Conference—North America, held in April in New Orleans, we held a series of plenary discussions on the science of the human brain, on social interactions, and on how to apply this knowledge to improve our performance. Our industry is conducting some amazing research and development, and the tools and processes we develop will help us, and the world, to better develop and use the natural resources we need now and in the future.
This Month’s Technical Papers
Company Integrates Human Factors Into Corporate Well-Control Manual
Integrated Simulation Increases Efficiency of Deepwater Risk Management
Company’s Integrated Approach Tackles Fatigue Management
Robot Removes Operators From Extreme Environments
Risk Assessment of Fluid Migration Into Freshwater Aquifers in Colorado Basins
Building Relationships With a Marginalized Community in Iraq
Recommended Additional Reading
SPE 181109Monitoring of Nontechnical Barriers by S. Næss, Statoil, et al.
SPE 183117 iRisk: A New Practical Guide to Cross-Functional Risk Leadership in Oil and Gas Megaprojects by Zarina Kenzhetayeva, Maersk Oil Kazakhstan, et al.
SPE 183595 Whole Systems Analysis of a High-Reliability Organization by C.O. Chukwunta, Imperial College London
SPE 185188 Developing Regulations Concerning Dispersant Use—A Recommended Good-Practice Approach by T.S. Coolbaugh, ExxonMobil, et al.
IPTC 18827 The Survey for Prevention of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Workers Performing Manual Material-Handling Work by A. Thongpradit, PTT Exploration and Production, et al.
SPE 180365 Dynamic Considerations for Induced Seismicity by Robert L. Walker, University of Southern California, et al.
OTC 27750 Use of a Cybersecurity Laboratory in Support of the Virtual-Vessel Concept To Increase Safety Onboard Marine and Offshore Assets by Naveen Selvam, ABS, et al.
Originally published in Journal of Petroleum Technology
