Isaac Henry Leads in Safety

Deepwater Operator Isaac Henry was tasked with putting a lock out/tag out (LOTO) on some valves in order to tie in a temporary hose on a bulk-oil treater. Isaac had the assistance of a rope access crew, so he could reach the valve.

Working together they filled out the JSEA and prepared themselves and equipment to start the job. When Isaac turned to get the LOTO equipment in hand to pass to the rope access crew member, he saw that the employee had started to open one of the double blocked valves on the bulk-oil treater. (The valve was already closed because this was their access point to tie into the line.)

Isaac immediately got the attention of the employee and called an all stop to the job, initiating stop work authority (SWA). Thankfully, the line was double blocked, and there was a plug in place at the tie-in point. If the employee had opened the other valve or if the plug had not held or had been removed, hot oil from the treater could have spilled and poured out onto the employee.

The rope access employee closed the valve he opened, and the LOTO was installed. Once the employee got back on the ground, he and Isaac discussed the miscommunication and the steps that needed to take place in correct order.

Thanks to Isaac for using SWA and for taking ownership of the job and the safety of everyone involved. Not only did he stop the job due to an unsafe action and potential incident, but he also exhibited great leadership in having discussions on what they could have done differently, including owning up to the failures on his part.

The safety team presented Isaac with a SWA shirt to recognize him for his call to action. The team also wanted to personally thank him for sharing his story with others to prevent a similar situation from happening in the future. Thanks to Isaac and all of our employees for everything you do for us in the field.