Safety is at the forefront of all we do at Onward, whether this be through the work of our talented HSE advisors or our strong polices. Most importantly, something uncommon in our industry which we pride ourselves on is our approach to Journey Management.  

The importance of safety

Onward boasts a Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) of 0.01, however there are other safety statistics we feel are important to highlight. Alarmingly for example, the United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates almost 100,000 police reported crashes and over 1,500 deaths are the result of drowsy driving each year.

Massachusetts, California, Alabama, Florida, and Texas each have national days and weeks for raising awareness of the issues around drowsy driving and how to identify the warning signs. In the spirit of this, Onward protects the safety and well-being of its staff all year-round 24/7 by ensuring they don’t drive tired. 

Nina Spencer, Vice President discusses the crucial role of safety in the high-risk Oil & Gas industry…

“We as an industry talk about safety, constantly. We are working over the water, at heights, with chemicals, pressurized equipment, overhead dangers, and moving equipment to name a few. The insurance industry understandably categorizes us as “high risk”. The long hours, the technical work and the distance from family all add to the mental not just physical toll of the industry.” 

The Onward approach

Safety is a topic of much conversation at Onward, both personally and professionally. We practice what we preach and put the safety of our people above all else. Therefore, we want to ensure there is no reason for our team members to travel whilst tired. A key part of employee well-being is feeling well rested and appreciated. 

As such, Nina describes the Onward approach to journey management… 

“Getting safely to the heliport is just the first step of getting home safely from a hitch. Those who work in the Gulf of Mexico, come from all over America, Onward employees included. That’s why we always pay for and encourage everyone to spend the night in a hotel before flying offshore. This avoids travelling through the night, being fatigued, and adding additional risk for the work ahead. 

Safety at all levels

Safety is always considered and examined in the working environment, however we acknowledge how vital it is to assess safety concerns at all possible levels. Nina emphasizes the importance of this…

“Encouraging a good night sleep and paying for it doesn’t seem like much but it is an example of how we demonstrate our core values. No matter the budget cuts or the price of oil, you can’t put a price of safety. There has always been a strong focus on procedural and process safety, not incorrectly, however the desire to try and engineer out potential incidents sometimes can overshadow potential human element casual factors.” 

We hope you enjoyed learning about one of our safety initiatives at Onward. If you would like to read more about Health, Safety and Environmental services we offer, please visit the HSE page here.