Safety in the oil patch: big oil does not compromise on safety issues on North Slope.

• Author: Liles, Patricia

Companies and contractors involved in Alaska's North Slope oil industry face substantial challenges in providing and maintaining a safe workplace.

Harsh weather conditions, frozen ground and equipment, remote locations far from existing infrastructure and an environmentally sensitive region are all part of the oil industry's safety issues faced in northern Alaska.

Those North Slope safety challenges add to the already risky oil industry employment that can oftentimes involve workers' exposure to moving parts and equipment; working beside or operating heavy, dangerous equipment; handling chemicals-sometimes hazardous materials; and working with electrical equipment.

"In the past, we talked about safety being our number one priority, but we've changed to referring to safety as a value," said Todd Christenson, a health, safety and environment director for capital projects at ConocoPhillips Alaska, one of the largest employers on the North Slope. "Priorities can change, but values don't. This is a value we will not compromise."

Attitudes about safety have changed over the years, since North Slope producers began pumping oil from Prudhoe Bay 30 years ago.

"We have a much different work force and the culture is much different now," said Len Seymour, health, safety and environment operations manager for BP Exploration Alaska. "We are much more about working safely and going home uninjured."

During the early development of the North Slope oil industry, companies were focused on building a network to produce and transport crude. "There was not an established culture, as we were building infrastructure from scratch, building a business from scratch," Seymour said. "Now, there is a tried and true established culture in place. Even as we are bringing in new people, they may be green but they can be assimilated into an established culture."

Now, new employees are "tagged" to a mentor, he added, a process that helps those unfamiliar to the North Slope work environment better understand safety risks and how to mitigate them. "We bring people into the work force in a much better fashion," Seymour said.

The focus on safety comes from the top of the employment ladder, in Alaska's largest producing oil companies.

"Managers are walking the talk and are part of the process," said Mike Stahl, health, safety and environment director at ConocoPhillips, responsible for drilling and wells in Cook Inlet. "Our managers emphasize to our folks about working safe. They tell workers that if they are unsure whether they can do a job safely, to stop the job and talk to crews about how to do it safely. The key message to employees is to stop a job. If they can't do it safely, we do not want them to do it."

COORDINATED SAFETY TRAINING, RULES

One aspect of safety on the Slope that has changed in recent years is a structure that is coordinated among the major producers and contractors.

In the past, safety rules and procedures varied among companies, with some site-specific rules implemented in certain locations.

"Although many...