Safety apriori

We have a plan of industrial safety measures at the plant – a vast program aimed at creation of accident-free working conditions and prevention of accidents and emergency situations at the industrial objects. It includes many measures corresponding to the up-to-date legislative basis of the country. In our work we keep to the corporative program  made a year ago “Industrial safety management system”, meeting the requirements of international standards.

Is it only in recent years that you pay so much attention to this trend?

- Personnel safety  has always been a priority at every plant, but one may say, that during the last eight years this task has become more actual and it is connected with numerous factors (legal, demographic, industrial). First, health of our personnel, as well as conditions for its preservation, are a part of the national project. Second, during the recent decades demographic has become really vital and in this connection the government has strengthened control over securing safe working conditions at dangerous industrial objects with the aim of minimization of accidents, incidents and industrial injures. Every year 25-30 thousand people in the country die in industrial accidents. Up to the present the industrial injuries frequency ratio in Russia remains high (IIFR=4)  - the number of accidents per 1000 working people, while in European countries IIFR = 0.5. In this connection the government recommends to pay  more attention to securing industrial safety. During the last five years practically all normative documents in the field of industrial and environmental safety at the government level have been reviewed, and restated with the aim of stiffening the requirements in this sphere. In order to assure safe and accident-free working conditions, industrial and ecological safety the plant invests tremendous funds, only for the last two years 495 million rubles was spent for this purpose. These costs are connected with works on replacement of critical sections of oil and water pipelines, rehabilitation of oil- stained soil, expert inspection  of pipelines’ industrial safety, anti-corrosion processing of pipelines, purchasing of  special; wear and individual protection gear, construction of a landfill fro industrial wastes, working out of necessary project documentation for practicing industrial activity and so on.

In accordance with Russian legislation a company’s costs for securing industrial and ecological safety must be within the limits of 0.2% of operating costs…

- This determinant is observed at OAO “Varioganneft”, and dependant on the developed measures and operational needs it may be exceeded. For example, in 2007 the company assigned for implementation of industrial and ecological safety measures 40% more funds than it was stipulated by the government.

How does “Varioganneft” achieve safe working conditions ?

- In order to achieve the target results Industrial safety department arranges and controls fulfillment of main strategic tasks. First, they include observation of legal and normative requirements in the field of industrial safety, environment and labor protection, including international standards. Second, special attention is paid to prevention measures, such as work on prevention, minimization and liquidation of industrial and environmental risks, accident, injures and disease threatening, minimization of harmful effect on the environment. Besides, the results of functioning of Industrial Safety and Environment Protection Management System is being constantly analyzed, and measures are being taken for its improvement. The company also arranges qualification commissions, training and instructing  for its personnel. Training includes a lot of trends. For example, for for engineers and technicians who are engaged in dangerous works training center “Neftianik” (“Oilman”) provides courses in industrial safety. Engineers and technicians of other specialties undertake upgrading courses in Moscow and St.-Petersburg. In 2007 112 people upgraded their qualifications, in 2008 78 members of staff have already graduated from the courses. In 2007 129 people and as of 20.10 2008 117 people undertook industrial safety training. It included complex studying of all existing normative documents of state supervision bodies. This training in of great importance, for legislative basis in the sphere of industrial and environmental safety is developing rapidly, many laws are restated and amended. So, we must keep up to date, especially because of the fact that to get a license, and the plant has a lot of them, one of the requirements is availability of specially trained and qualified workers for the given type of activity.
As far as working professions are concerned, the main rule which is strictly observed, is that working places are to be manned with people having special training, working record and documents certifying their professional skills. They all undergo training as well – in Nizhnevartovsk, Raduzhnoye or at the training base of the plant where specially invited experts from training centers teach. Afterwards they, according top the rules, must undergo annual control of their knowledge. Before that they undergo special training for each type of job. And all their supervisors and heads of shops must take active part in it.

The main stress in implementation of the measures on securing industrial safety is usually done on prevention of risk factors, isn’t it?  

- It is really so, for any measure taken in this field whether it concerns individual protection gear, creation of safe working conditions, rehabilitation of soil, renovation of equipment and many other things are aimed at minimization of risks. You should acknowledge, that both expert inspection of industrial safety of oil production equipment and pipelines, and anti-corrosion processing of the pipelines, and construction of facilities according to the existing norms may be referred to as the measures on securing and creation of safe working conditions and one of the main determinants of efficient activity of Industrial safety department and the plant on the whole. It is very difficult to achieve desirable results, that is why we try to anticipate the situation. The plant has been functioning for more than 30 years, and under the general assessment more than 30% of all the oil-gathering system have already become obsolete. The joint stock society spends a lot of money every year on diagnostics of oil production equipment and pipelines. It is worth saying that every year “Varioganneft” replaces about 18-20 kilometers of pipes. During the last five years great work has been done in this field. If we manage to keep this rate, the joint stock company may achieve good results which will enable us to reduce substantially the number of incidents at industrial pipelines. Solution of this problem at present depends mainly on the economic situation in the country. I am an optimist and I am sure that the plants which make real material values, like oil, gas, metal, coal etc. must survive economic crisis worthily, keeping intact their production output,  human resources potential and sales markets.

We have touched upon the matter of individual protection gear. How do the workers assess their introduction and use?

- During the recent few years a great step forward has been made in this field. I have worked in industrial safety for more than 20 years. And the difference between the things we used to have and the things we have now is great. Modern materials and technologies make special wear and footwear very comfortable and functional. The gloves, goggles, helmets, tools we purchase are of high quality. As a rule they are produced at Russian factories under world catalogues and standards. Special gear protects workers from harmful industrial factors. Those who are engaged at really dangerous works are given special thermo-resistant wear. As far as special wear is concerned, the plant is completely equipped with everything which is necessary and supplies are going smoothly. People give high assessment to the new special gear, it is comfortable and keeps you fro mist and winter, remains clear for a long time.

Supplies of special wear, footwear and individual protection gear are  made in accordance with corporate norms of OAO “Oil and Gas Company “RussNeft”,

What about work with contracting organizations in this field?

- Our plant is a big one, and usually several contracting organization work at our objects. All the works are doe in accordance with the rules of interrelations between the contractor and the customer. The staff of the Department  visit the sites where contractors work, they check their certificates, availability of special wear, technical devices, licenses for the given type of works, whether instructions were given etc. In short, they assess whether the contracting organization is ready for safe working at the sites of our company. Contracting organizations usually observe the rules of the Customer, for the exception of rare cases when their workers were working at the site in the state of slight intoxication. In the situation of this kind we act very categorically: first, penalties,   second, the worker in question will never again work at our objects. Such position is based on the anti-alcoholic policy of the company and the fact that the objects fall under the category of highly dangerous ones:  high pressure, explosive media – it is clear that all the requirements of industrial safety must be observed unconditionally.

Is administrative control alone sufficient for implementation of efficient system?

- You know the term -  necessary and sufficient. It is, probably, a necessary conditions, but by no means sufficient. You will never achieve efficiency until everybody, starting from a common worker up to CEO realize and  fulfill the set tasks of industrial safety. And at that one must understand, that it is important not only for a mark in the set of tasks, but for his own health and safety.
According to all-Russian statistics 95% of all the accidents occur because of breach of the rules of industrial safety. It means, that the workers knew the rules, they were trained, certified, instructed, but, nevertheless, they didn’t observe the rules. It is the condition of control that must be necessary, and observation of the rules  by the worker must be sufficient/ In this connection we have a special meeting at the plant each week, twice a month we have “Supervisor’s Day”, when we discuss with experts different types of risks, analyze information,  received from  supervising bodies from other plants. We arrange extra instructing in subdivisions , so that the people knew how to act in various emergency situations. Observation by each worker of the company of normative industrial and environmental safety documents is the main condition of their personal safety, prevention of accidents and emergencies.