Enhancing the basis for Crew Resource Management (CRM) training for well operations crews: Risk Influencing Factors in Offshore Drilling

Abstract

The offshore drilling industry is experiencing a stronger focus on human and organizational factors that are influencing risk of major accidents. Industry associations, authorities and drilling operators are starting on the same path as the aviation industry in the late 1970s, where more attention was directed towards understanding human and organizational factors in major accidents. Guidelines for a Crew Resource Management (CRM) in the offshore drilling industry have been developed. We suggest that a Multilayer risk model provides a functional platform to analyze risk influencing factors in operations, aiding in broadening the scope compared to the recommendations presented in the industry guidelines. The multilayer risk model mirrors what we know about the intricate randomly concurrent influences that are hallmarks of major accidents. Viewing risk influencing factors in such a framework will provide a more holistic picture, and facilitate a creation of a more complex set of expectations among operators.