Abstract
The oil and gas industry is a high risk environment. Despite advancements in technology and safety management practices, major disasters do occur and relatively minor safety related incidents occur fairly frequently. When managing safety, placing an emphasis on engineering technologies, the most proximal factor in the chain of events, or safety management practices themselves, in isolation from the complex interaction between technology, human factors and organizational structures, is insufficient and can be misleading. This paper addresses the development and integration of a high performance work systems (HPWS) approach with conventional engineering and management practices to improve safety in the offshore oil and gas industry. A safety-related HPWS approach emphasizes the role of integrating practical related engineering management and human resource management practices to produce positive outcomes and to promote a safe working environment. The integration of technical engineering practice with management systems will promote the development of an effective framework to improve workplace safety in the offshore oil and gas industry. Towards this, authors are developing an integrated approach of workplace safety management by linking predtive accident models with HPWS. This has the potential to reduce risk, enhance safety and provide a greater return on investment for this industry.
