The new year will see a change in the method used by IMCA for collecting safety statistics from its contractor members. This will result in simpler, more timely reporting, and the ability to more easily benchmark performance – two factors we believe will stimulate higher data submission rates than in the past.
IMCA began collecting safety statistics in 1997. That first year, just 23 members took part in the safety statistics programme. Last year, 191 contractors took part, nearly half the contractor membership. The statistics show that IMCA contractors are 10 times safer today than they were in 1997. As the programme has grown, so have the mechanisms used for collecting the statistics. In 1997, members completed a paper form and faxed it in. Later, an easy-to-complete spreadsheet template was developed. From the start of 2019, when we issue an invitation to members to send in their safety statistics, the spreadsheet will be replaced with a web-based, user-friendly dashboard.
This will enable members to submit data easily and help judge their performance against other similar-sized companies. Until the introduction of the new system, members have had to contact IMCA to find out, in confidence, what their position was within their man-hour size band. Now they will be able to log into their dashboard and see their results graphically within a very short time.
Maintaining member anonymity remains a high priority for IMCA. However, every submitting company will be able to see their own standing against their peers in easy-to-understand charts and graphs. We will also use the existing data so members can look back and see trends in long-term performance. For many companies, providing this information is a requirement when reporting to shareholders, and an important aspect of corporate social responsibility.
The changes
In the past we asked for 27 separate statistics; this figure will now be cut to 20, primarily because we have removed the need for separate definitions for injuries (such as restricted work day, medical treatment and first aid), instead using the widely understood recordable injury as the best definition. As the reporting of such injuries is mandatory in many places, this information should be readily to hand.
IMCA safety statistics will no longer be in terms of onshore and offshore hours; rather they will be organised as company total hours and offshore hours worked. Members will submit data on: the number of fatalities; the number of lost time injuries (LTIs) and five causes of LTIs (line of fire; slips and trips; muscle stress; falls from height; and dropped objects); the number of recordable injuries; and the number of safety observations – a key leading performance indicator.
IMCA’s Health, Safety, Security & Environment Committee is keen to make better use of leading (rather than lagging) key performance indicators. Safety observations, showing a proactive approach to safety, are a valuable leading indicator. It can be shown that as an industry, we have made more safety observations – using, for example, STOP cards and near miss reports – and there has been a fall in injuries.
Safety lies at the heart of IMCA’s work on behalf of its members. We actively encourage them to make good use not only of our guidance documents, but also of our safety promotion materials, including 25 short safety videos based around animated characters in the offshore working environment with: 'Are YOU prepared to work safely?’ as their theme. IMCA is also fully supportive of the International Association of Oil & Gas Producers’ updated and simplified Life-Saving Rules. Stay safe.
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