Taking the Lead and Challenging the Future Together

Guidance Notes for Good

Contracting Practice

Emergency Response

Offshore Contractors’ Association

58 Queens Road
Aberdeen AB15 4YE

Telephone: 01224 326070

email: info@oca-online.co.uk

www.oca-online.co.uk
 CONTENTS

0.0 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 3

1.0 INTRODUCTION 4

2.0 DUTYHOLDERS EXPECTATIONS 4

3.0 THE EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS OFFSHORE LIAISON GROUP 4

4.0 OUT OF HOURS CONTACT 5

4.1 Designated Telephone Number 5

4.2 Duty Person 5

4.3 Actions on Arrival at Company Premises 6

5.0 ATTENDANCE AT DUTYHOLDER’S PREMISES 6

6.0 RELATIVE RESPONSE ORGANISATION 6

6.1 Personnel 7

6.2 Designated Relative Response Room 7

6.3 Recommended Equipment 7

7.0 EXTERNAL REPRESENTATIVES ORGANISATION 8

8.0 TECHNICAL SUPPORT 8

9.0 DEALING WITH THE MEDIA 9

10.0 POST INCIDENT COUNSELLING 9

11.0 RECORDS 9

12.0 REFERENCES 10

Appendix 1 PREPARATION CHECKLIST 11

Appendix 2 TYPICAL RELATIVE RESPONDERS TRAINING AGENDA 13

Appendix 3 EXAMPLE RELATIVE ENQUIRY FORM 15

0.0 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Offshore Contractors’ Association gratefully acknowledges the contribution provided by

the following members in the production of this guidance document:

John Boyce Salamis Group Ltd

Susan Elston Aramark on behalf of COTA

Julia Dryborough AMEC

Janice Flint Wood Group Engineering (North Sea) Ltd

Gary Jenkins Wood Group Engineering (North Sea) Ltd

Mark Levitt AMEC

Stuart Walker Petrofac Facilities Management Ltd

1.0 INTRODUCTION

This document has been produced by the Offshore Contractors Association in order to
provide guidance to both member and associate companies on the arrangements they need to
consider when addressing emergency response.

Because of the diversity of size and services provided by member and associate companies
this document provides only general guidance. It is recommended that each Company should
agree the specific requirements for its response in an emergency situation with individual
Clients, using this document as an aide memoir.

It is a fact in the offshore industry that whilst there may be clear, accurate information
available internally of who is on any given platform at any given time, the next of kin do not
always know where their relative is, are spread the length and breadth of the country and are
likely to receive first indications of an emergency through the media. In the unlikely event of
an emergency the media, in their rush to get information into the public domain, often get
names of installations and operators incorrect. This provides an added anxiety to families
who are not sure if their relatives are involved. The most likely person they will contact is
the Employer. Therefore the accuracy of the information flow is paramount and this can only
be achieved if companies have addressed the areas identified in this guidance.

A Checklist is provided at Appendix 1 to assist companies in addressing the various

requirements recommended in this document.

2.0 DUTYHOLDERS EXPECTATIONS

The primary responsibility for managing any emergency on an offshore installation or drilling
rig rests with the dutyholder. He will have prepared and exercised comprehensive plans for
managing both the offshore and onshore aspects of such an emergency.

Contractors personnel offshore will be integrated into the installation emergency response
organisation and will have been provided with the requisite training by the dutyholder.

Onshore the dutyholder will have arrangements to respond to any offshore emergency and
once alerted will set up an Incident Response Room. From there he will establish
communications with, amongst others, the installation, emergency services, regulatory
authorities and contractors. From each of these organisations he will expect a level of
support depending upon the extent and severity of the emergency.

With regard to contracting companies the dutyholder is likely to expect assistance in all
aspects of support to the contractor’s employees offshore and their next of kin. He will
expect the contractor to mobilise trained personnel to assist in handling telephone calls from
families and, if an evacuation occurs, to provide personnel to meet evacuees on their return to
onshore. To aid communications he is likely to request a representative to attend his Incident
Response Room to ensure that the latest information and particularly media information is en-
passed to the contractor. He may also require the contractor to provide a representative at any
press briefings. Details of all these arrangements should be contained in the SMS Interface
Document developed between the dutyholder and contractor.

3.0 THE EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS OFFSHORE LIAISON GROUP

Since the tragedy of Piper Alpha all parties involved in the offshore industry have been
working together in order to improve and harmonise their processes and documentation. In
an attempt to achieve this harmonisation in the area of emergency response the Emergency
Preparedness Offshore Liaison Group (EPOL), consisting of representatives from all sectors of the
industry together with Grampian Police and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency was established.

The primary role of EPOL has been to develop common systems across the industry for the
onshore support of an offshore emergency, particularly in areas such as relative response,
reception centres and hospitals.

They have also been instrumental in creating a ‘mutual help’ system where the dutyholder
who has the emergency can call on assistance from other companies to support their own
organisation.

Details of the work that EPOL have been involved in can be viewed on the ‘Networks’
section of the Step Change in Safety web site (www.stepchangeinsafety.net)

4.0 OUT OF HOURS CONTACT

The offshore oil and gas industry is a 24 hours a day 365 days a year operation. As a result it
is possible that an emergency may occur out of normal office hours. It is important, therefore,
that all companies who have personnel working offshore have a system for being contacted
outside normal working hours.

The definition for ‘Out of Hours’ contact can vary throughout industry. Therefore for the
purpose of this guidance we will use a rule of thumb by specifying the hours out-with normal
business hours being ‘Out of Hours’.

Normal business hours should be defined, e.g. 0830hrs – 1700hrs Monday to Friday.

4.1 Designated Telephone Number

The designated telephone number for an emergency should be provided to all clients and
employees. This guidance recommends your company’s main telephone number be used. To
ensure this number is maintained on a 24 hour basis there may be the need to either have the
telephone line redirected by the line provider or employ an external agency to monitor calls
during your ‘Out of Hours’ period.

4.2 Duty Person

It is the responsibility of every Company to have a nominated person or persons available to

respond to an out of hours contact. Once notified of an emergency this Duty Person should
establish contact with the Client to determine the nature and extent of the emergency and seek
guidance on what action is required.
For larger companies it is likely that the Duty Person will have access to a team of trained
personnel to undertake emergency response duties. Whereas smaller companies and SMEs
may have to rely on their Client to undertake some of these roles. It is recommended that
specific roles and responsibilities be agreed with individual Clients at the onset of a contract.
The Duty Person should have access to key telephone numbers for each Client and for
internal support personnel. Typically support personnel may be needed for:

• attendance at the dutyholder's premises,

• to provide a relative response cell, and
• to provide support at an evacuees reception centre and/or hospital.
4.3 Action on Arrival at Company Premises

For organisations that have trained emergency response personnel consideration should be
given to setting up an Emergency Response Room(s).

Whoever arrives at the Company premises first will collect the Emergency Response File
from its designated location.

This file may include but is not limited to:

• The alarm system instructions
• Emergency Response Process Flow Chart
• Emergency Response Procedure
• Employee Contact List
• Sub-contractor and Suppliers List
• Client Telephone Numbers
• Police Protocol Information
• Blank Record Forms from the ER procedure
• Contract / Project / Site information sheets

Ideally two rooms are required. One for managing the company’s response to the emergency
and a second for dealing with calls from relatives. The first room should be equipped with a
direct dial telephone and have access to a facsimile machine and photocopier. Once this
room is set up contact with the Client, using the telephone number supplied on the initial call
should be established and the Client notified of the direct telephone number and fax number.
All telephone calls should be directed through this room until the Relative Response Team
has been set up at which time the Receptionist / Switchboard Operator should be advised.

5.0 ATTENDANCE AT DUTYHOLDER’S PREMISES

If there is a request by the Client to provide a Company Representative as a focal point

between Company and Client, then the most appropriate person available should be
nominated.
To ensure good communication is maintained the Company Representative should be
provided with a fully charged mobile phone plus charger or spare battery. (Note: It is
possible that in a major incident mobile phone systems may fail due to the volume of traffic,
alternative communications methods should, therefore, be considered). These
communications links should be tested at regular intervals.

6.0 RELATIVE RESPONSE ORGANISATION

Communications between offshore employees and their families onshore is difficult at the
best of time due to the limited telephone facilities available. In an emergency situation this is
going to be even more difficult as the dutyholder will require all available communications
systems to manage the emergency.

It is imperative, therefore, that all organisations that have personnel working offshore have
the ability to provide accurate information to the families of their employees during an
emergency situation. The following paragraphs provide guidance on how this can be
achieved. However it is recognised that some smaller companies may not have the resources
to provide their own response so should seek agreement with their Clients for them to provide
the response on their behalf.
6.1 Personnel

Training for this role is imperative and the need cannot be stressed strongly enough. This is a
very stressful role and requires a great deal of compassion as well as focus. Employees that
take up these positions are placed in a taxing position and need to be rotated by other
similarly trained personnel. Appendix 2 provides an example of a typical training agenda for
relative responders.

The team size will depend upon the scale of the emergency and the number of employees
offshore.

6.2 Designated Relative Response Room

Not all companies have the luxury of surplus office space to have a Relative Response room
set up on a full time basis. For those that can accommodate this practice, this provides a less
stressful beginning and a more efficient start to a possibly challenging task.

For those companies that convert on office or meeting room into their Relative Response
room for the purpose of an emergency; designated telephone points need to be easily
identified for quick and efficient connection. These need to be tested at regular intervals:
good practice would suggest weekly.

The room needs to be sufficiently large for the Responders and Co-ordinator to have a
suitable working area, and be able to conduct telephone conversations without distraction
from others.

A digital clock should be positioned in the room where it can be easily observed. This
provides a standardised time for the Responders and Co-ordinator to use when recording
actions and follow-up tasks.

The use of a NOBO board or something of similar size should be available for the Co-
ordinator. This is used to highlight any pertinent information that needs to be shared with all
of the Relative Response team.

To ensure there is minimal delay in responding to telephone calls an automatic hunt system
that, using a single number seeks out an available extension is considered to be good practice.
This allows calls to be answered by any of the Responders that are not dealing with relatives’
inquiries.

6.2 Recommended Equipment

There should be sufficient telephone lines for incoming calls and one for external calls; this
can also be used for inter-office communication.

The Responders should be provided with telephones that have the capability of placing a call
on hold, that can divert calls and have a socket to accept headsets. Consideration should be
given to providing headsets as this assists in reducing distraction.

A full array of stationary equipment should be provided to each Relative Response station,
which should consist of: note paper, pens, post-it pads, filing tray and blank Relative Enquiry
Forms. An example Enquiry Form is provided at Appendix 3.
There should be a Relative Enquiry Form filing system located in a central area of the room
that all Responders and Co-ordinator should have access to.

7.0 EXTERNAL REPRESENTATIVES ORGANISATION

In a major emergency on an installation offshore it is probable that some degree of down

manning of personnel may be required. Initially this may be to an adjacent installation as a
precaution but in the long term it could be back to the beach. Depending upon the magnitude
and speed of escalation of the incident it is possible that those returning to the beach will be
traumatised, confused and generally in an agitated state.

The dutyholder, in conjunction with the local police, will co-ordinate the setting up of an
Evacuee Reception Centre. Individual contract companies may need to provide trained
personnel at this Reception Centre to assist in registering incoming evacuees, seeing to their
wellbeing, de-briefing them as necessary and arranging onward movement if required. SMEs
should ensure that they have agreements in place with their Clients for them to provide this
assistance, particularly early on in an emergency.

There is a likelihood that relatives will congregate at the Reception Centre. They should be
briefed on the situation and consideration given to providing basic facilities for them.

In parallel with this evacuation it is possible that casualties will be flown direct to hospital for
treatment. A similar, smaller reception facility will be provided at the hospital.

The number of personnel required would be dependent upon the number of personnel being
evacuated and the level of support required for these personnel and their families. The
following roles may be required:

• Company Representative (Evacuees)

• Company Representative (Relatives)
• Company Representative (Hospital)
• Record Keeper (Evacuees)
• Record Keeper (Relatives)
• Record Keeper (Hospital)

All communications systems allocated for use by External Representatives should be tested at
regular intervals.

8.0 TECHNICAL SUPPORT

More and more frequently these days, contracting companies are being asked to support the
dutyholder’s engineering and structural integrity processes, either through computer
simulation models, master engineering drawings or records of integrity inspections. This
means that should an emergency occur offshore that involves these processes the dutyholder
will very quickly be looking for technical support from these contractors.

As part of their emergency arrangements companies that provide such technical services
should ensure that they have a methodology for providing the necessary expertise to deal with
requests for technical support.
9.0 DEALING WITH THE MEDIA

Experience has shown that the media will go to great lengths to ‘get a story’ and whilst in the
main they follow a code of conduct there are those who will bend these rules to get the
information.

The primary responsibility, in an offshore emergency, for providing information to the media
rests with the dutyholder and he will engage the services of a professional organisation to
assist in preparing appropriate statements. Many large contractors have similar
arrangements.

Any enquiries should be referred to the dutyholder’s media information cell. However, once
the media become aware that a contractor or SME has personnel on the affected installation
they are very likely to approach that company direct for information. It is recommended,
therefore, that all companies involved in the offshore oil and gas industry prepare Media
Holding Statements

There have been instances of journalists turning up at companies’ premises and refusing to
leave until they have their story. In most cases, unless they have made a forced entry or
disturbed the peace the police are powerless to do anything. Consideration should be given,
therefore, to ensuring that premises can be secured and entry provided only to identified
personnel.

10.0 POST INCIDENT COUNSELLING

When developing an onshore emergency response organisation consideration must be given

to providing all those who become involved with the opportunity to receive trauma or stress
counselling once the incident has been concluded.

Here again the dutyholders and larger contracting companies are likely to have access to
trained counsellors through their occupational health provider. It is possible that this service
may be extended to Sub-contractors and SMEs through specific agreements with individual
Clients.

11.0 RECORDS

It is important that a written log of events is maintained by any organisation that is involved
in an offshore emergency, no matter how small that involvement may be.

Following any offshore emergency there is likely to be an enquiry. The level of this enquiry
will be dependent upon the nature and scale of the incident and could range from an internal
enquiry by the dutyholder, a formal investigation by the regulator or a full fatal accident
enquiry.

Regardless of the scale of the enquiry it is likely that all organisations involved will be
required to submit records of the information they received and actions they undertook during
the emergency.
2.0 REFERENCES

BS EN ISO 13702:1999Petroleum and natural gas industries. Control and mitigation of fires
and explosions on offshore production installations. Requirements
and guidance.

BS ISO 15544:2000 Petroleum and natural gas industries. Offshore production

installations. Requirements and guidelines for emergency response

UKOOA Industry Guidelines for the Management of Emergency Response for

Offshore Installations Issue No 2. May 2002

UKOOA Guidance for Health and Safety Management Systems Interfacing.

EPOL Evacuee Reception Centre Guidelines

EPOL Personnel Transfer Fax

Notification of Fatality/ Sudden Death Offshore Fax

(Note: Copies of the last three can be downloaded from the ‘Networks’ section of the Step
Change in Safety Website – www.stepchangeinsafety.net),
 APPENDIX 1

PREPARATION CHECKLIST
ITEM REQUIREMENT YES NO

1. Provide out of hours contact telephone number to all

Clients/ Customers.

2. Organise rota of out of hours duty personnel.

3. Identify suitable office space for emergency

response teams.

4. Provide extra telephones for relative responders.

5. Can dedicated telephone and facsimile numbers and

equipment be provided for emergencies?

6. Provide mobile telephone, spare battery/ charger for

persons going to client’s premises and/ or
evacuation centres.
7. Identify and train personnel to act as Relative
Responders.

8. Identify and train personnel to act as Evacuation

Centre/ Hospital Company Representatives.

9. Provide blank relative response forms, pens, paper,

etc. in room to be used for relative response.

10. Carry out internal table top exercises to familiarise

people with their roles.

11. Participate in Client run exercises as often as

possible.

12. Identify senior manager who will deal with any

media enquiries.

13. Identify back-up personnel, particularly for relative

response role.
 APPENDIX 2

TYPICAL RELATIVE RESPONDERS TRAINING AGENDA

1.0 INTRODUCTION TO EMERGENCY RESPONSE
1.1 What is an Emergency?
1.2 Nature and Types of Emergency
1.3 Company’s Emergency Response Organisation

2.0 RELATIVES RESPONSE TEAM

2.1 Aims and Objectives of a Relative Response
2.2 Duties of a Relatives Response Team

3.0 RELATIVES ENQUIRIES

3.1 Who Will Call?
3.2 What Are the Callers’ Needs?
3.3 Meeting Callers’ Needs
3.4 Who is Entitled to Information?
3.5 Types of Enquiries

4.0 TELEPHONE COMMUNICATIONS

4.1 Receiving Incoming Calls
4.2 Closing the Call
4.3 Dealing with Callers
4.4 Essential Do’s and Don’ts
 APPENDIX 3

EXAMPLE RELATIVE ENQUIRY FORM

 RELATIVE ENQUIRY FORM
SURNAME INSTALLATION

FULL NAME NEXT OF KIN DETAILS

DATE OF BIRTH NEXT OF KIN

COMPANY RELATIONSHIP

JOB TITLE TELEPHONE

ADDRESS ADDRESS

ON BOARD
NOT ON BOARD VERIFIER SIGNATURE:

CALLS RECEIVED
TIME NAME OF CALLER RELATION INFORMATION GIVEN/RECEIVED LOCATION/TEL NO. INITIALS
-SHIP OF CALLER

CALLS MADE
TIME PERSON CALLED RELATION INFORMATION GIVEN/RECEIVED LOCATION/TEL NO. INITIALS
-SHIP OF CALLER