@BOOK{NAP author = "Transportation Research Board and National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine", title = "Strengthening the Safety Culture of the Offshore Oil and Gas Industry", abstract = "TRB Special Report 321: Strengthening the Safety Culture of the Offshore Oil and Gas Industry offers recommendations to industry and regulators to strengthen and sustain the safety culture of the offshore oil and gas industry. A supplemental product titled Beyond Compliance provides an executive-level overview of the report findings, conclusions, and recommendations.The committee that prepared the report addresses conceptual challenges in defining safety culture, and discusses the empirical support for the safety culture definition offered by the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, the nine characteristics or elements of a robust safety culture, methods for assessing company safety culture, and barriers to improving safety culture in the offshore industry.The committee\u2019s report also identifies topics on which further research is needed with respect to assessing, improving, and sustaining safety culture. Download the Report in Brief or the TR News article for a summary of the report. ", url = "https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/23524/strengthening-the-safety-culture-of-the-offshore-oil-and-gas-industry", year = 2016, publisher = "The National Academies Press", address = "Washington, DC" } @BOOK{NAP author = "National Academy of Engineering and National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine", title = "High-Performance Bolting Technology for Offshore Oil and Natural Gas Operations", isbn = "978-0-309-47242-5", abstract = "Commercially significant amounts of crude oil and natural gas lie under the continental shelf of the United States. Advances in locating deposits, and improvements in drilling and recovery technology, have made it technically and economically feasible to extract these resources under harsh conditions. But extracting these offshore petroleum resources involves the possibility, however remote, of oil spills, with resulting damage to the ocean and the coastline ecosystems and risks to life and limb of those performing the extraction. The environmental consequences of an oil spill can be more severe underwater than on land because sea currents can quickly disperse the oil over a large area and, thus, cleanup can be problematic. \n\nBolted connections are an integral feature of deep-water well operations. High-Performance Bolting Technology for Offshore Oil and Natural Gas Operations summarizes strategies for improving the reliability of fasteners used in offshore oil exploration equipment, as well as best practices from other industrial sectors. It focuses on critical bolting\u2014bolts, studs, nuts, and fasteners used on critical connections.", url = "https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25032/high-performance-bolting-technology-for-offshore-oil-and-natural-gas-operations", year = 2018, publisher = "The National Academies Press", address = "Washington, DC" } @BOOK{NAP author = "National Academy of Engineering and National Research Council", title = "Macondo Well Deepwater Horizon Blowout: Lessons for Improving Offshore Drilling Safety", isbn = "978-0-309-22138-2", abstract = "The blowout of the Macondo well on April 20, 2010, led to enormous consequences for the individuals involved in the drilling operations, and for their families. Eleven workers on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig lost their lives and 16 others were seriously injured. There were also enormous consequences for the companies involved in the drilling operations, to the Gulf of Mexico environment, and to the economy of the region and beyond. The flow continued for nearly 3 months before the well\ncould be completely killed, during which time, nearly 5 million barrels of oil spilled into the gulf.\nMacondo Well-Deepwater Horizon Blowout examines the causes of the blowout and provides a series of recommendations, for both the oil and gas industry and government regulators, intended to reduce the likelihood and impact of any future losses of well control during offshore drilling. According to this report, companies involved in offshore drilling should take a \"system safety\" approach to anticipating and managing possible dangers at every level of operation -- from ensuring the integrity of wells to designing blowout preventers that function under all foreseeable conditions-- in order to reduce the risk of another accident as catastrophic as the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill. In addition, an enhanced regulatory approach should combine strong industry safety goals with mandatory oversight at critical points during drilling operations.\nMacondo Well-Deepwater Horizon Blowout discusses ultimate responsibility and accountability for well integrity and safety of offshore equipment, formal system safety education and training of personnel engaged in offshore drilling, and guidelines that should be established so that well designs incorporate protection against the various credible risks associated with the drilling and abandonment process. This book will be of interest to professionals in the oil and gas industry, government decision makers, environmental advocacy groups, and others who seek an understanding of the processes involved in order to ensure safety in undertakings of this nature.", url = "https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13273/macondo-well-deepwater-horizon-blowout-lessons-for-improving-offshore-drilling", year = 2012, publisher = "The National Academies Press", address = "Washington, DC" } @BOOK{NAP author = "National Research Council", title = "An Ecosystem Services Approach to Assessing the Impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico", isbn = "978-0-309-28845-3", abstract = "As the Gulf of Mexico recovers from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, natural resource managers face the challenge of understanding the impacts of the spill and setting priorities for restoration work. The full value of losses resulting from the spill cannot be captured, however, without consideration of changes in ecosystem services\u2014the benefits delivered to society through natural processes.\nAn Ecosystem Services Approach to Assessing the Impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico discusses the benefits and challenges associated with using an ecosystem services approach to damage assessment, describing potential impacts of response technologies, exploring the role of resilience, and offering suggestions for areas of future research. This report illustrates how this approach might be applied to coastal wetlands, fisheries, marine mammals, and the deep sea\u2014each of which provide key ecosystem services in the Gulf\u2014and identifies substantial differences among these case studies. The report also discusses the suite of technologies used in the spill response, including burning, skimming, and chemical dispersants, and their possible long-term impacts on ecosystem services.", url = "https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18387/an-ecosystem-services-approach-to-assessing-the-impacts-of-the-deepwater-horizon-oil-spill-in-the-gulf-of-mexico", year = 2013, publisher = "The National Academies Press", address = "Washington, DC" } @BOOK{NAP editor = "LeighAnne Olsen and Steve Olson", title = "Opportunities for the Gulf Research Program: Community Resilience and Health: Summary of a Workshop", isbn = "978-0-309-36852-0", abstract = "There are many connections between human communities and their surrounding environments that influence community resilience and health in the Gulf of Mexico. The impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on Gulf communities and ecosystems - coupled with the region's preexisting health challenges and environmental stressors - illustrate the need to better understand these connections. In the future, natural and man-made disasters, climate change impacts, and other environmental stressors will present complex challenges to the physical, mental, and social well-being of communities in the Gulf. Understanding the interrelationships among health, ecological, and economic impacts of disasters and other environmental stressors will be crucial to addressing these challenges.\nOpportunities for the Gulf Research Program: Community Resilience and Health summarizes a Gulf Research Program workshop held on September 22-23, 2014, in New Orleans, Louisiana. The workshop examined opportunities to improve the health, well-being, and resilience of communities in the Gulf region through discussions with about 50 participants with diverse expertise and experience. These discussions identified perceived needs, challenges, and opportunities that align with the Gulf Research Program's mission and goals - particularly its goal to improve understanding of the connections between human health and the environment to support the development of health and resilient Gulf communities. This workshop is expected to lead to the development of additional Program activities and opportunities for the research community.\n\n", url = "https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/21691/opportunities-for-the-gulf-research-program-community-resilience-and-health", year = 2015, publisher = "The National Academies Press", address = "Washington, DC" } @BOOK{NAP author = "National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine", title = "Understanding the Long-Term Evolution of the Coupled Natural-Human Coastal System: The Future of the U.S. Gulf Coast", isbn = "978-0-309-47584-6", abstract = "The U.S. Gulf Coast provides a valuable setting to study deeply connected natural and human interactions and feedbacks that have led to a complex, interconnected coastal system. The physical landscape in the region has changed significantly due to broad-scale, long-term processes such as coastal subsidence and river sediment deposition as well as short-term episodic events such as hurricanes. Modifications from human activities, including building levees and canals and constructing buildings and roads, have left their own imprint on the natural landscape. This coupled natural-human coastal system and the individual aspects within it (physical, ecological, and human) are under increased pressure from accelerating environmental stressors such as sea level rise, intensifying hurricanes, and continued population increase with its accompanying coastal development. Promoting the resilience and maintaining the habitability of the Gulf Coast into the future will need improved understanding of the coupled natural-human coastal system, as well as effective sharing of this understanding in support of decision-making and policies.\n\nUnderstanding the Long-term Evolution of the Coupled Natural-Human Coastal System presents a research agenda meant to enable a better understanding of the multiple and interconnected factors that influence long-term processes along the Gulf Coast. This report identifies scientific and technical gaps in understanding the interactions and feedbacks between human and natural processes, defines essential components of a research and development program in response to the identified gaps, and develops priorities for critical areas of research.", url = "https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25108/understanding-the-long-term-evolution-of-the-coupled-natural-human-coastal-system", year = 2018, publisher = "The National Academies Press", address = "Washington, DC" } @BOOK{NAP author = "National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine", title = "The Use of Dispersants in Marine Oil Spill Response", isbn = "978-0-309-47818-2", abstract = "Whether the result of an oil well blowout, vessel collision or grounding, leaking pipeline, or other incident at sea, each marine oil spill will present unique circumstances and challenges. The oil type and properties, location, time of year, duration of spill, water depth, environmental conditions, affected biomes, potential human community impact, and available resources may vary significantly. Also, each spill may be governed by policy guidelines, such as those set forth in the National Response Plan, Regional Response Plans, or Area Contingency Plans. To respond effectively to the specific conditions presented during an oil spill, spill responders have used a variety of response options\u2014including mechanical recovery of oil using skimmers and booms, in situ burning of oil, monitored natural attenuation of oil, and dispersion of oil by chemical dispersants. Because each response method has advantages and disadvantages, it is important to understand specific scenarios where a net benefit may be achieved by using a particular tool or combination of tools. \n\nThis report builds on two previous National Research Council reports on dispersant use to provide a current understanding of the state of science and to inform future marine oil spill response operations. The response to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill included an unprecedented use of dispersants via both surface application and subsea injection. The magnitude of the spill stimulated interest and funding for research on oil spill response, and dispersant use in particular. This study assesses the effects and efficacy of dispersants as an oil spill response tool and evaluates trade-offs associated with dispersant use.", url = "https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25161/the-use-of-dispersants-in-marine-oil-spill-response", year = 2020, publisher = "The National Academies Press", address = "Washington, DC" } @BOOK{NAP author = "Institute of Medicine", editor = "Margaret A. McCoy and Judith A. Salerno", title = "Assessing the Effects of the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill on Human Health: A Summary of the June 2010 Workshop", isbn = "978-0-309-15781-0", abstract = "From the origin of the leak, to the amount of oil released into the environment, to the spill's duration, the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill poses unique challenges to human health. The risks associated with extensive, prolonged use of dispersants, with oil fumes, and with particulate matter from controlled burns are also uncertain. There have been concerns about the extent to which hazards, such as physical and chemical exposures and social and economic disruptions, will impact the overall health of people who live and work near the area of the oil spill. \n\nAlthough studies of previous oil spills provide some basis for identifying and mitigating the human health effects of these exposures, the existing data are insufficient to fully understand and predict the overall impact of hazards from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on the health of workers, volunteers, residents, visitors, and special populations. Assessing the Effects of the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill on Human Health identifies populations at increased risks for adverse health effects and explores effective communication strategies to convey health information to these at-risk populations. The book also discusses the need for appropriate surveillance systems to monitor the spill's potential short- and long-term health effects on affected communities and individuals. \n\nAssessing the Effects of the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill on Human Health is a useful resource that can help policy makers, public health officials, academics, community advocates, scientists, and members of the public collaborate to create a monitoring and surveillance system that results in \"actionable\" information and that identifies emerging health risks in specific populations.", url = "https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12949/assessing-the-effects-of-the-gulf-of-mexico-oil-spill-on-human-health", year = 2010, publisher = "The National Academies Press", address = "Washington, DC" } @BOOK{NAP author = "Transportation Research Board", title = "TRB Special Report 309: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Offshore Safety and Environmental Management Systems", abstract = "TRB Special Report 309: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Offshore Safety and Environmental Management Systems recommends that the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) take a holistic approach to evaluating the effectiveness offshore oil and gas industry operators' Safety and Environmental Management Systems (SEMS) programs. According to the report, this approach should, at a minimum, include inspections, audits by the operator and BSEE, key performance indicators, and a whistleblower program.\nSEMS is a safety management system(SMS) aimed at shifting from a completely prescriptive regulatory approach to one that is proactive, risk based, and goal oriented in an attempt to improve safety and reduce the likelihood that events similar to the April 2010 Macondo incident will reoccur.\nAccording to the committee that produced the report, it is not possible for a regulator to create a culture of safety in an organization by inspection or audit; that culture needs to come from within the organization. To be successful, the tenets of SEMS must be fully acknowledged and accepted by workers, motivated from the top, and supported throughout the organization and must drive workers' actions.\nThe report also notes that BSEE can encourage and aid industry in development of a culture of safety by the way it measures and enforces SEMS. The Committee believes BSEE should seize this opportunity to make a step change in safety culture by adopting a goal based holistic approach to evaluating the effectiveness of SEMS programs.\nIn recommending a holistic approach to evaluating the effectiveness of SEMS programs, the report explores in detail SEMS' role in helping to develop a culture of safety, highlights the pros and cons of various methods of assessing the effectiveness of a SEMS program, and investigates existing approaches for assessing the SMS programs of various U.S. and international regulatory agencies whose safety mandates are similar to that of BSEE.", url = "https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13434/trb-special-report-309-evaluating-the-effectiveness-of-offshore-safety-and-environmental-management-systems", year = 2012, publisher = "The National Academies Press", address = "Washington, DC" }