Every little detail counts when your job is as complex as running an oil or gas production facility. You can’t skimp on safety but must also maximize efficiency for optimal profits.
Since you’re “in charge,” you have some leeway in setting policies and procedures. If you know your systems require a serious revamp, it’s time to sit down with your current manuals and find out just how outdated they are.
As you redesign your operations, be sure to include these elements to help improve productivity and efficiency in your oil field facility.
1. Dominate Your Procedures With Safety Measures
Every step in your processes should start with the idea of “safety first.” Gas and oil production facilities are inherently dangerous places to work. Anyone on the site is at risk of fire, explosion, and inhalation of vapors. Any accident, no matter how minor, can quickly become fatal.
Review your current equipment, training protocols, and system procedures. If any preventative maintenance is overdue, schedule it immediately.
Since the gas and oil industry is such a lucrative field, technology is always evolving. Look for updated equipment that can save you money over and above the initial investment and increase your workers’ safety at the same time.
Set up automated training modules for new employees, new equipment, and annual reviews. Reminders about the importance of safety in the oil field can’t come too often.
2. Update Workplace Accommodations
Your workers are on the road much of the year, and it’s up to you to provide accommodations for them. If you’re still using the same methods you’ve had in place for years, you’re likely losing money.
Just as equipment has evolved in this industry, so has oil field housing. As discussed in this article by Hotel Engine, you can keep your staff in “man camps” or book them into hotels. Both have pros and cons to them, and it’s up to you to decide if what you’re using is working.
Man camps are convenient because the workers don’t have to leave the site, but they don’t have privacy, which often means a loss of morale. These camps are expensive to construct and tear down, move, and replace. In some places, the cost can be close to six figures for each home, plus repairs, electricity, construction, and relocation.
Instead of paying massive costs to put a man camp together, contact a corporate hotel booking solution and find out how you can get deeply discounted rates.
Also Read: 6 Smart Solutions to Maximize Your Home Space and Functionality
3. Include Monitoring Systems
How well is each piece of equipment performing? Are the costs of using them rising? Is there a more efficient way to get the same job done just as well or better?
Part of your role should include staying up-to-date on the latest products in the oil and gas production industry. When you know what’s available, you can monitor current equipment usage and decide if what you have is obsolete and costing you more than it’s worth.
Review records to see how much downtime happened due to issues with equipment, how fast or slow production times are, and if there are any regular safety issues. By monitoring performance, profit, and safety data throughout the year, you can pinpoint small problems before they become major obstacles.
4. Go Renewable Where Possible
Although some people might argue this, oil energy and renewable resources don’t have to be exclusive. In fact, there are various ways the two industries are coming together to create viable, eco-friendly processes.
Start with something as simple as having recycle bins on your worksite and enforcing their use. Reduce unnecessary paper printing by implementing cloud-based programs and interdepartmental connections.
Clean living will pay for itself over time. Even better, once you get the programs and processes in place, they’re easy to maintain, requiring minimal maintenance or upgrades.
You can slowly incorporate other renewable resources and practices into your workflow as your staff gets used to implementing these green procedures, and your profit margins show the benefits.
Conclusion
Working in oil and gas production can be a lucrative industry, but you have targets and quotas to meet and — importantly — people to protect. These goals can be addressed more efficiently when you have strong, updated processes in place and the best equipment available on your job site.
Keep these tips in mind as you revamp your current policies and procedures, and you’ll have more efficiency and productivity in your oil field across the board.