In developing our Strategic Safety Plan, we asked our Members if there was anything else they needed. Members identified a need not yet met in the cranes and lifting sector of our industry, with the most pressing issue being the need for a competency guidance for offshore inspection and maintenance (I&M) personnel.
The inaugural monthly meeting was held in March 2022 (attended by representatives from INPEX, Woodside, Santos, Sparrows Services Australia, Enermech, Pressure Dynamics, Beach Energy, Chevron, Shell and BHP) and a Cranes and Lifting Project Team assembled, that will this year morph into the establishment of a new Cranes and Lifting Working Group (CLWG).
As a Project Team, the Group has already built up a membership from all major operators, and many major contracting companies that operate, supply and maintain cranes. The Team has been ably led by Ruano Stumpf (Regional Manager – Oceania, Axess Offshore) and Kevin McClean (Lifting Specialist (TA1), INPEX) - aligning with the Safer Together model of joint leadership by an operator and a contractor company representative.
The CLWG will provide Member Companies with an opportunity to share incidents and best practices amongst industry stakeholders, to share issues related to incidents involving offshore cranes, hoisting, and lifting, and to improve the consistency of safety related activities that can be standardised. The means of demonstrating competency of cranes and lifting inspection and maintenance personnel in offshore locations will be Working Group's focus, and will be published later this year.
The purpose of this Guideline will be to provide operators and service companies with a model for demonstration of competency for inspection and maintenance personnel, so that confirmation of the current competencies of these critical personnel can be accomplished more easily and consistently. Starting with offshore personnel, this guidance may be expanded in the future to address onshore personnel, and those in operating roles, if it proves successful.
When the final preliminary draft of the Guideline is available, the CLWG will brief the Safety Leaders Group and undertake wider consultation within the Safer Together community prior to publication.
The CLWG will continue work on other initiatives – with topics under consideration including incident shares for development into Learning Event Bulletins and sharing of lift planning (with a view to possible future standardisation).
If you have something to contribute in this space, wish to attend a meeting; or if you know any member company with personnel in the cranes and lifting industry who is interested in joining our CLWG, email us at [email protected] – we’d love to hear from you.