Beredskapssenteret – OFFB – Operatørenes forening for beredskap

“In 2023, we carried out 137 trainings and exercises based on 11 different Defined Situations of Hazard and Accident (DSHA). The activity level has been high, and the results are good,” says Trond Gleditsch, head of training and exercises at OFFB.

Changing demands over time

OFFB’s members are different, and their activities vary over time. This is reflected in the demand for training and exercises. In order to understand what the companies need, and to be able to deliver in the best possible way, each member has a dedicated contact person at OFFB. We use the term POC (point of contact).

“It’s a bit like having a paid-for best friend,” says chief of staff Kim Åke Sviland with a smile.

He is the new POC for Wintershall Dea Norge, as from 2024.

While getting to know Wintershall Dea’s emergency response organisation, Sviland has shadowed colleague Magnus Klem Husebye over the last months.

“Kim joined OFFB in March 2023, and was included in the early phase. This manner of working ensures a good overlap and maintains continuity. As a POC, you get to grips with the continuity of the operations, spanning from exploration to production. This broad view would have been fragmented if one person was responsible for keeping track of operations, another one for training, and a third for keeping the daily contact,” says Klem Husebye.

_{Magnus Klem Husebye, Kim Åke Sviland and Øyvind Norheim are making plans for Wintershall Dea's coming exercises.}

“Our goal is to maintain a neat and simple dialogue. The operator knows who to talk to at OFFB, and we keep track of history,” Sviland adds.

In collaboration with Wintershall Dea's emergency preparedness and security lead, Øyvind Norheim, Sviland is now scheduling the activities that OFFB will deliver this year. The "counterparty" agrees that the role of the POC and cooperation on the exercises works well.

“It is very good to have one specific person to turn to when needed. I think we cooperate well with OFFB in arranging good exercises, so that everyone involved in emergency response at Wintershall Dea is as well prepared as possible,” says Norheim.

Learning is the goal

At OFFB, we perform emergency response tasks every day. But many of the people, who are on emergency response duty for their companies, may have completely different daily work tasks. It is therefore essential to set up the exercises in such a manner that the duty teams are provided with the best possible outcome.

All training and exercise activities are considered important contributions to the continuous improvement of the emergency response functions. Depending on the activity and the number of people included in the duty team to be exercised, we will agree on how to set up the training or exercise in question. For example: Whether it should be a table top, or a level 1, level 2 or level 3 exercise. table top, nivå 1-øvelse, nivå 2-øvelse eller nivå 3-øvelse.

_{All personell in our on-duty teams are required to participate in a certain number of exercises each quarter. Information Coordinator Patricia Karlsen and Emergency Leader/Training and Exercise Leader, Trond Gleditsch, during an exercise in our emergency room at Forus.}

“At OFFB, we divide training and exercise activities into several levels, depending on how many of the member's emergency response lines are involved. A series of exercises is often carried out, using the same scenario, so that all the duty teams will have been trained, and the learning outcome for the company as a whole will be as good as possible,” Gleditsch explains.

OFFB also participates in the planning and implementation of full-scale exercises, in collaboration with other actors involved in emergency preparedness and response. These exercises rotate between the operating companies, with all other members invited to take part, as was the case with Exercise Draugen in 2023.

Monthly status meetings

The POCs have monthly status meetings with their operator’s contact person, to discuss and review the coming activities and plans.

“Together with the member company, we chart their demand in terms of training activities. They may for instance need to practice more on oil spill prevention and recovery. We then set up an exercise with a realistic scenario, which the operator of course has to approve,” says Sviland.

He enjoys his role as POC.

“You become very involved and gain a great deal of insight into the operator's activities, and it’s your job to convey this to the others on duty at OFFB. It is always exciting when companies are preparing for new drilling operations. I believe 2024 will be a year of many constructive exercises,” says Sviland.

Equinor accident gave valuable learning for Neptune Energy

An explosion occurred during the pouring of nitrogen from bottles to hydraulic accumulators on the Heimdal field, and two people were seriously injured. The Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) concluded in its investigation report that "with insignificant changes in circumstances, the incident had the potential for a fatal accident".

Several mitigating measures have since been implemented by Equinor, and the entire industry has learned from the incident. This spring, when Neptune Energy was training its six emergency preparedness teams together with OFFB, the Heimdal incident was chosen as the case scenario – and the Gjøa facility as the training object.

Preferred practice method

Using a real-life event gives a more serious backdrop to the exercise, and enhances meaning and learning outcomes. Several participants have since stated that they prefer this manner of training.

“Those of us involved in exercise planning at OFFB, are eager to form a good cooperation with the people we train with. It is important for us to be able to distinguish between what works and what can be done better. The exercises should feel useful to everyone involved. It's especially rewarding when we hit the mark with both the scenario and the execution,” says Pål Erland, emergency response manager and responsible exercise leader at OFFB.

Erland has been involved in the planning and execution of exercises at OFFB since 2010. Before that, he had a long career in the police.

Planning provided valuable information and learning

To create the most realistic scenario possible, documentation from Equinor and the Petroleum Safety Authority's (PSA) investigation report from the Heimdal incident were used in planning the exercise. In addition, the exercise management received valuable information from Equinor's 2nd line emergency response manager, who handled the incident in 2019. To maximize the learning outcome, the exercise was based on a "worst case" scenario.

All teams trained on the same scenario

By basing all exercises on the same scenario, all on-call duty teams in Neptune Energy's 2nd and 3rd line were given a common foundation for handling the incident. Real-life mobilization was carried out in the 2nd and 3rd line. In addition, all first notifications from the 2nd line were transmitted to all relevant collaborators. These included the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (South), the local police, PSA, contractors, on-duty doctor, emergency doctor, head of the Operator's Centre for Evacuees and Next of kin (OSEP), as well as head of the next of kin call centre and the Clinic for Crisis Psychology.

Neptune Energy's on-duty personnel at the logistics base in Florø also took part in all executions. In addition, the operator's emergency doctor provided valuable support to the 2nd line’s handling of the exercise.

“It was essential for all teams to handle the same scenario and practice on the same incident. It was also important to involve as many real-life actors as possible. We received valuable contributions, including from the platform manager on Gjøa,” says Erland.

_{The seminar at OFFB following the exercises was an important part of the learning process. Foto: Alf Inge Molde}

After the exercises, Neptune Energy held a learning and evaluation seminar at OFFB, to which all participants were invited. Here, the emergency response manager from Equinor's 2nd line, Geir Helge Johnsen, shared Equinor's and his own personal experiences from the Heimdal incident.

“Learning outcomes are important to OFFB and those we train with. The evaluation process is therefore central. After the Neptune exercises, the evaluation seminar together with Equinor was helpful and instructive. Johnsen’s presentation was greatly appreciated, both by the participants and the exercise management,” says Erland.

OFFB have room for more members

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