SARAWAK, Malaysia, -- Sarawak Shell Bhd's Bintulu plant, a vital source of oil and gas supply to the state of Sarawak as well as to the country, continues to be the company's pacesetter for safety performance in the country.

Its record of 16 years (clocked on January 1 2001) without a single loss time injury (LTI) is enviable by Royal Dutch/Shell Group and industry standards.

Loss time injuries are the sum of fatalities, permanent total disabilities, permanent partial disabilities and lost workday cases.

A lost workday case is any work injury other than a permanent partial disability which renders the injured person temporarily unable to perform any regular job or restricted work on any day after the day on which the injury was received.

How did they clock 16 years of this? As the staff will proudly tell you, it's all about relationship and teamwork - looking out for each other and being very focused when it comes to operational safety.

It works because even the plant's third party contractors can see the benefits despite the company's stringent measures "imposed" on them; and in place for all to ensure safe operations with minimal impact on the environment.

A day in the life of the operations technician Operations technician, Kevin Ili Kuin has been with Shell for the last 21 years.

A good part of it was with the Bintulu plant, 13 years to be exact.

Each day is a fresh challenge to Kevin.

"The first 30 minutes before the formal duty handover between personnel and me, gives me the opportunity to catch up with my colleagues.

I find this helpful in developing a close rapport with my colleagues.

It helps me create a more conducive working atmosphere and assures both the incoming and the outgoing personnel that the plant will continue to be in safe hands," remarked Kevin.

A typical day for Kevin starts around 5am.

By 6.30am, the incoming and outgoing shift would have been briefed and would have discussed tasks and action items.

"We will cover topics ranging from operations, health, safety and the environment (HSE) to pressing welfare issues that may affect the shift.

Welfare matters can include activities we do during our off days such as how the families of everyone are getting along.

When the community is small and close, all of these become part of our lives," he added.

By 7am, it is time to handle the issuance of "permit to work" where those who carry out work in various parts of the plant need to get the necessary approval to enter and work in the plant as directed by the various departments.

By 8am, the operations technician will then tackle work handed over by the previous shift such as data collection sampling, dipping, checking waste disposal, and physical checks to installation.

By 9am, after the routine checks, it is time to go back to the mess room for a light break.

"Safety is always at the back of your mind even during routine checks.

You need to mentally audit areas for any potential risks and hazards.

You have to be particularly careful in process areas.

""Shell emphasises a lot on improving the capability of their staff.

So even during free hours, we go through the operating and safety instructions.

"Lunch break is some 30 minutes around noon.

Depending on tasks at hand, the afternoon will be used up to complete the planned jobs for the day.

By 6.30pm, the handover to the next incoming shift will take place.

Again the teams will go through what have been done for the day and the action items that need to be carried out by the new group.

By 6.45pm, it is time to leave the plant for the comfort of home.

The operations shift goes through a four-day morning cycle, followed by a break of four days and then return to work for another shift of four nights.

Like other operations personnel, Kevin's work stops with the handover.

"I don't take the job home.

At the most, I will share with the family the interesting part of the day or any new initiatives undertaken by the company that may interest or concern them.

All in all, a good day would be a mix of work and fun."

Changes over the years

The plant, which began as a crude oil storage and processing facility, has grown into the nerve centre for both oil and natural gas.

It handles 7 per cent of Malaysia's gross national product (GNP) and 30 per cent of Sarawak's GNP.

It also channels natural gas into generated electricity for the state.

Changes in facility and technology bring increased risks and challenges.

However, a number of things remain the same - for instance, sampling by a process checklist approach has to be done manually.

With increasing sophistication, work gets a lot more easy as one needs to go less and less frequently to the "field" as monitoring can be done from the remote control room.

Source: New Straits Times