Equinor’s zero-accident vision is on the right track, but more work is needed to reduce injuries

Norwegian state-owned energy giant Equinor has released safety results for the third quarter of 2024, noting an increase in safety and a slight increase in the total number of injuries towards the end of the quarter.

At the end of the third quarter of 2024, the Norwegian giant recorded a serious incident frequency per million working hours (SIF) of 0.3, which is said to be in line with the second quarter’s figures. Six of the 13 SIF incidents listed in the company’s safety results occurred off the coast of Norway in the last 12 months. In addition, seven oil and gas leaks were recorded.

Jannicke NilssonEquinor’s Executive Vice President of Safety, Security and Sustainability noted: “We are still on the right track when it comes to the risk of major accidents, hydrocarbon leaks and serious incidents. We are seeing a low frequency of incidents and it is important to ensure we learn from the good developments.”

The total reportable injury rate per million hours worked (TRIF) for the trailing 12 months ending in the third quarter is 2.4, up slightly from 2.2 at the end of the second quarter. According to the company, there were no major incidents or major well control incidents during the third quarter.

“Our staff and suppliers are working well together to improve safety, but we have not achieved the desired improvement in injury development. “This is a challenge that we have to solve together.” Nilsson added.

In collaboration with Aker BP, Vår EnergiAnd ConocoPhillipsand with the support of BehaviorLabEquinor operates the “Always Safe” platform, which is open to all operators and suppliers. The aim of the initiative is to strengthen the industry’s safety culture and work together to prevent serious accidents while avoiding injuries and incidents in everyday work.

The Norwegian corporation and its partners use the platform’s annual wheel to gain better insight into the factors that can get in the way of safe work performance. As Nilsson indicates, more and more users are accessing the platform, which she sees as a sign of their interest in sharing insights and focusing on common security issues across the industry.

The company has entered into a waste management contract for Equinor’s core business activities Soil technology earlier this week. The latter is designed for processing drilling chips Statfjord B Platform located in one of Norway’s oldest producing fields.

In addition, the Norwegian Offshore Directorate (NOD) issued a drilling permit for two Wildcat wells in the Barents Sea, off the coast of Norway. The wells are located in production license 229, operated by Vår Energiwhich holds a 65% stake, and Equinor with a 35% stake. COSL Drilling Europe’s semi-submersible drilling rig prospector should be used for drilling work.