ISN Insider

“Progress Energy Canada Ltd.’s first priority is the safety of our workers, operations and communities. ISNetworld complements our existing framework for responsible governance and practices in our internal business activities very well.” – Gary Miller, Senior Vice President of Production, Facilities and Operations for Progress Energy Canada Ltd Progress Energy Canada Ltd., an exploration and production company focused on natural gas in Canada, has implemented ISNetworld as part of its highly regarded corporate responsibility program. With operations in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin, the Deep Basin of Northwest Alberta and the Foothills of Northeast British Columbia, Progress Energy Canada Ltd. remains committed to protecting the health and safety of its workers and the communities in which it operates.

With an incident rate that is 8 times higher than others sectors, the risky environment of the mining industry requires extra provisions and precautions. The Mine Safety and Health Administration’s (MSHA) dedication to preventing injuries and illnesses in the mining sector is evident in the final mining data for 2012. For the second consecutive year, 2012 statistics reflect the lowest injury and fatality rates in US mining history. These statistics were calculated using data from mine inspections, violations, number of mines and miners, and injury and fatality rates. 

“At DBP we aspire to excellence for HSE performance by creating and maintaining a culture of Zero Harm. ISN will assist DBP in developing and pursuing the high standards in HSE performance we value so greatly.” -Mark Williams, DBP’s Contracts & Procurement Manager Dampier Bunbury Pipeline (DBP) and ISN have partnered to enhance their contractor management across DBP’s Western Australian Operations. ISN will provide DBP with a streamlined reporting, monitoring and verification process for HSE and procurement information on its contractors.

The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) hosted the Safety 2013 Conference & Exposition last month in Las Vegas, NV, an annual event in which an executive panel comprised of CEOs, presidents and vice presidents from a range of industries conduct sessions giving guidance based on their expertise and experience intended to help health, safety and environmental professionals better understand what is expected of them from an executive team.

Dr. David Michaels, Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA, unveiled OSHA’s new National Emphasis Program designed to protect workers from exposure to isocyanates, defined by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) as highly reactive, low molecular weight chemicals widely used in the manufacturing of foams, fibers, pants, varnishes and elastomers. Isocyanate exposure poses an increasing risk to workers in the automotive industry and can result in irritation to the eyes, nose and throat, severe asthma and cancer.

Royal Dutch Shell (Shell) last week announced a potential 100M barrel oil find in the Gulf of Mexico. Shell’s Vicksburg exploratory well found an estimated 500 feet of net oil pay five miles from the company’s Appomattox site, containing an additional 500M barrels of potential recoverable resources. “The reason that Vicksburg is important is that it is another significant discovery and it is adjacent to Appomattox,” said Mark Shuster, Executive Vice President of Shell Upstream Americas Exploration. “What’s most surprising is that we found a resource base that is in the range of what we had expected, but at the higher end.” The discovery is notable not only for its vast addition to potential oil reserves, but for advances in exploration that the project proved successful. The Vicksburg well is nearly 7,500 feet below sea level, and the well is 26,385 feet deep, making it one of Shell’s deepest wells in the Gulf. “This is a Jurassic-age reservoir that is more than 160 million years old that was deposited as desert dunes and now is sitting beneath the floor of the Gulf of Mexico,” said Shuster. Appomattox and Vicksburg drill into the Norphlet Play, a large Upper Jurassic play that stretches from most areas of Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana into the deep waters of the Gulf. Nearly 15 years ago, Shell geologists began contemplating how to successfully explore the deep water reserves of Norphlet Play. “No one thought we would be able to find oil in this reservoir in the deep water,” said Shuster. “But we made the first forays into this play, and subsequently, other companies are coming along.” Shell’s first discovery at Appomattox in 2009 prompted plans for further development, and the Vicksburg discovery promises even further growth. This should be encouraging news for contract workers in the offshore industry. Shell is said to be contemplating marrying the two wells to capitalize economically on the recovery of reserves. “The results of the Vicksburg well strengthen our existing deep water Gulf of Mexico exploration portfolio and should contribute to the nearby Appomattox discovery,” Shuster said.