Feature Stories
The Norway business unit recently completed 8.5 million work hours without significant incidents or recordable injuries to personnel over a one-year period. This milestone, which spans all offshore and onshore facilities in Norway and the United Kingdom, marks the best health, safety and environmental (HSE) performance in the business unit’s history.
The Norway HSE Performance Team helped deliver this outstanding safety performance, earning a 2024 SPIRIT of Performance Award for this achievement.
8.5 million work hours without significant incidents or injuries
The Norway business unit recently passed a milestone of 8.5 million work hours without significant incidents or recordable personnel injuries over a one-year period in the Greater Ekofisk Area, Tananger and Teesside.
“Our employees and suppliers’ strong commitment has contributed to a safe work environment every day,” said Jan-Arne Johansen, who managed operated assets in Europe at the time and now serves as president of ConocoPhillips Australia. “This is an impressive team achievement and the result of many years of effort, building an inclusive safety culture across the organization. While we are proud of this exceptional result, we stay humble and are fully aware that past performance is no guarantee for future success. And our journey to zero incidents and injuries really never ends.”
During this time, the Greater Ekofisk Area in the North Sea and Teesside in the U.K. experienced a very active period with operations, maintenance and modifications activities. In addition, the Tommeliten A and Eldfisk North subsea development projects were ongoing, including significant brownfield scope at Ekofisk and Eldfisk. Three drilling rigs were also in operation throughout the year.
“A tremendous HSE effort across teams and locations have produced this result offshore, at Tananger and in Teesside,” said Kjell Rune Skjeggestad, HSE manager in the Norway business unit.
'We are all pulling in the same direction’
“Our strong safety performance goes hand in hand with our steady operating performance, exemplifying that a safe operation is an efficient operation,” Skjeggestad said. “Our employees and contractors also demonstrate a clear understanding of the company’s safety culture, programs and initiatives. We are all pulling in the same direction and that is vital for this result.”
The consistent application of the company’s safety programs and initiatives — including Life Saving Rules, Process Safety Fundamentals, Safety Procedures and Stop Work Authority — is essential for maintaining high standards of safety performance and ensuring reliable operations.
“These safety programs and initiatives have been implemented for many years,” Skjeggestad said, “leading to an inclusive safety culture.”
Fostering an inclusive safety culture
Leaders, safety delegates, employees and contractors collaborate to report and review incidents and near misses in a non-blaming manner, fostering a culture of continuous learning. Moreover, everyone is empowered to halt operations if they identify any concerning safety issues.
“This fosters an inclusive environment, a workplace where everyone can be psychologically safe to point out potential safety risk factors across functions and levels in the organization,” Skjeggestad said. “Our skilled and competent employees and contractors know what they are doing.”
Field workers have also been engaged to simplify requirements and work standards. This effort supports the Operating Integrity Philosophy of “making it easy to do it right,” enhancing the availability of easy-to-read procedures and better understanding of risk and barriers.
Sharing learnings within the company and with peers
ConocoPhillips Norway shares learnings within the company and with peers to enable overall HSE improvements in the industry. The business unit has earned the reputation of a reliable partner, thanks to the company’s longstanding commitment to HSE performance.
“We do not compete when it comes to HSE,” Skjeggestad said. “We share safe ways of working and learnings from incidents, with the aim of preventing incidents or injuries no matter where we operate in the world. This award was a meaningful recognition after a year with high activity and exceptional safety performance. It is a new year now, and our focus is on carrying out safe operations today, tomorrow and in the future.”
Norway HSE Performance Team
Jan-Arne Johansen (team lead), Kjell Rune Skjeggestad (team lead), Bjørn Saxvik, Nicolai Lenning, Bjørn Olav Rølland, Kurt Fredheim, Jan Sangedal, Robert Ramos, Michael Rae, Lee Murray, Johan-Christian Bordevich, Michael Lengauer, Kristin Hovda Anfinsen, Anne K. Skipenes, Lillian Vaage, Magnar Hellevik, Lars Jonny Larsen, Glenn Hamrell, Odd Guttormsen, Wenche Wergeland, Gisle Mæland, Eamonn Scanlon, Tove Husby, Paal F. Bjåstad, Per Ove Pettersen, Randi Opøyen and Frode Nirisen.