HSE—or health, safety, and environment—is commonly used as shorthand for HSSES (health, safety, environment, security, and social economics) and is also known as SHE or EHS. An alternative term for it is occupational safety and health (OSH).[1] Some organizations include security and social economics under the HSE umbrella. Titling it HSSES becomes cumbersome, so the abbreviation HSE is typically used include safety and security. Safety, health, environmental, security, and social economics are separate disciplines, each with its own technology; however, these disciplines are often combined in the same functional groups within exploration and production (E&P) organizations.
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[hide]Health
The health function typically deals with the well-being of the employees as they live and work in the E&P environment. Typically, the health function focuses on the effects of oilfield chemicals and oilfield physical environment on employees.
Safety
The safety function focuses on protecting the employee from risk involved in E&P operations. All E&P operations involve some risk from operational hazards. The safety function seeks to minimize these risks and monitor the effectiveness of the minimization activities.
Environment
The enviromental function focuses on the effects E&P have on the external environment. Typically,the discipline deals with those effect that occurs outside the E&P footprint. Included are the effects of air emissions, waste water discharges, and disposal of waste.
Security
The security function focuses on protection of the E&P employees and property from external intrusion. It deals with such intrusions such as theft, vandalism, and civil unrest.
Social economics
Social economics is a new field focusing on the impact the E&P have on the local community. It includes such activities as hiring, training, impact on local businesses, and stability of the available local work force. It can include safety, health, environmental, and security impacts on the community.
Governmental organizations and HSE
Governmental organizations around the world are in place to institute regulations and penalize organizations that do not follow those regulations. These regulations protect employees of organizations, the local community, the environment, and all others possibly affected by the aspects of HSE. Such governmental organizations (at the national level) include OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administration) in the United States, HSE (Health and Safety Executive) in the United Kingdom, and CCOHS(Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety) in Canada. Additionally, organizations like OSHA international and theEuropean Agency for Safety and Health at Work regulate multiple countries, with or without their own HSE organizations.
HSE institutionalization
Though government regulations protect HSE interests, it is up to the industry, and organizations within the industry, to go beyond those regulations. Institutionalized organizations include the following characteristics:[2]
These five characteristics are critical but are not the only elements an institutionalized company possesses.
References
- ↑ Wikipedia. 2014. Occupational safety and health (8 October 2014 revision).http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupational_safety_and_health (accessed 22 October 2014).
- ↑ Hallmark, R.G. 2009. Institutionalization of HSE. Presented at the SPE Americas E&P Environmental & Safety Conference, San Antonio, Texas, USA, 23-25 March. SPE-120576-MS. http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/120576-MS.
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