Famous Barriers, A Novel Approach to Improving Management Understanding of Critical Functions.

Abstract

Abstract This paper further develops Bow-Tie methodological concepts such as the Levels analysis (SPE 127180), Sparseness, Completeness and Complexity (Hudson & Hudson, 2015). These concepts, taken together, are developed here to provide simple ways of providing managers with both strategic and tactical information about how well their risks are being controlled. The introduction of frequency and effectiveness measures combined with greater understanding of the management functions as described allows improved control. The disconnect between the knowledge and understanding residing within the risk management function of an organisation and its senior management has been the cause of numerous incidents within the Oil and Gas industry. The immediacy of personal safety incidents, together with the personal history of senior managers, can create situations where the actual organisational needs are deprioritised in favour of immediate, hands-on actions. The FAME method, by looking at all the management functions controlling barriers, allows risk managers to communicate the highest priority safety critical management functions to the senior managers in a clear and concise manner. The emphasis is moved from immediate causes to factors that are within the span of control of managers. This allows the conversation to change from "why wasn't he wearing his gloves?," a purely reactive question about events that the manager has very little control over; to "how did we not have a start-up audit on this contract?," a subject that is closely related to the actual activities of the manager concerned. This paper introduces a method for clearly communicating to senior management what their own critical management functions are and what they can be held accountable for.