“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.
“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.
“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.
