Improvement of Road Safety Within the Oil and Gas Industry and its Effect on the Community - Case Study

Abstract

For years, road transportation has been identified as one of the most dangerous activities performed by employee working in any industry, including the oil and gas. Established methodologies and technologies are used to plan journeys and monitor driving activities, thereby providing accurate data for additional controls. These techniques are being used not only within organizations, but within the communities in which the activities occur. This study demonstrates that a dedicated effort to manage the risk associated with road transportation, even in high driving risk area such as Egypt, is an effective means of mitigating incidents. A fleet of around 100 vehicles, of varying types, within one country (Egypt) were used to identify trends and successful efforts in the use and deployment of these methodologies and technologies. The multi-year study was inclusive of dedicated drivers, occasional drives and heavy vehicle drivers within the organization to get more diverse sampling of driving behaviors and incident types. In-Vehicle Monitoring System (IVMS) data were used to interpret and summarize driving behavioral patterns. Further correlation of the number of near misses or road-related incidents were used to determine the level of improvement achieved over time via the use of mix established methodologies and technologies. Egypt was selected because according to the World Health Organization, there are around 12,000 fatalities due to road traffic crashes every year, and there is low enforcement of basic traffic laws. Little-to-no control of excessive over-speeding or seatbelt usage, no strict enforcement of the issuance of local driving license, poor lane and traffic signal discipline, and poor road designs and conditions, all contribute to the increased risk for vehicle incidents and the severity of injuries resulting from those incidents. These realities made Egypt an ideal case to evaluate the effectiveness of a systematic approach to implement and use transportation safety methodologies and technologies.