TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT


HTL GROUP LOOK INTO THE IMPORTANCE OF OPERATOR TRAINING


Every workplace role requires job training. Training presents a principal opportunity to increase the knowledge of every employee, however employers find training and development to be a costly endeavour.


Further to this, employees are absent from work while attending training courses, which can amongst many things, delay completion of projects. Nevertheless, training and development provides both the company as a whole and the individual employee with benefits that can make the expense and, relatively speaking, the small amount of time lost a very worthwhile investment.


The controlling of bolted connections has been regulated by fairly limited procedures. However, major workplace incidents have highlighted the need for new standards. Moreover, in 2013, a report published by the Environmental Protection Agency stated that 32% of all carbon emissions came from incorrectly bolted flanges.


For example, research into an offshore platform fire revealed the cause of the fire as a carbon steel ring which had been inserted between two stainless steel


flanges through a weak positive material identification program and managed to pass the nitrogen and helium pressure test. Only a few years later, the carbon steel ring eroded away from galvanic corrosion and leaked, causing the fire which spread across the platform


This could possibly have been avoided through efficient operator training into a Positive Material Identification programme, in fact in response to a series of accidents resulting from material errors, many companies have instituted stringent PMI programmes.


Joint research carried out by Control Magazine and ABB, in 2012 indicated that nearly 40% of unscheduled production downtime is due to operator error. A carefully designed training and development program can ensure that employees have consistent experience and background knowledge, which will reduce production downtime.


In addition, the investment in training an organisation makes clearly demonstrates to the employees that they are valued. Employees feel appreciated, challenged and truly empowered, and in turn may feel more satisfaction toward their jobs,


reducing absenteeism and staff turnover.


Perhaps more importantly, correct training prevents work related injuries and accidents, and reduces risk to employees. Effective health and safety training plays an important role in making sure employees understand the hazards to which they may be exposed and how to prevent harm to themselves and others.


In their 2014/15 Annual Offshore Regulatory Report, the HSE outlined that there have been 16 specified injuries within the offshore industry, at a rate of 48 per 100,000 workers; and 393 dangerous occurrences, a number similar to the year before. Safety is at the forefront of the industry, and recent research has shown that due to a strong industrial culture in workplace safety the rate of injury has dropped.


Finally, putting all employees through regular training ensures that all staff members at least have exposure to information and allow them access to the latest technology, best practise and current legislation. Companies can benefit from reduced work-related injuries and accidents, safer decisions, reduced risk and improved production reliability, maintenance and equipment cost.


Further to this, the HSE highlighted, as one of their headlines statistics, that there were 82 hydrocarbon releases for 2014/15, the lowest ever annual count; with minor releases reduced to about a third of the 2013/14 figure. The number of major and significant hydrocarbon releases dropped by around a quarter compared to the previous year.


HTL realise the importance placed on training in all industries they serve, their comprehensive portfolio of courses are endorsed by world leading approving bodies; ECITB, NEBOSH, IOSH and QNUK. In addition, as part of HTL’s complete course portfolio they also offer a range of online training courses which can be completed online at your convenience.


For more information visit their training website: www.htl-trainingservices.com Call: +44 (0) 1670 700 005 Email: training@htlgroup.com or visit them at this year’s Offshore Europe at stand 1F45.


p28 | www.sosmagazine.biz | July 2017


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