Risk focus areas

IRF members have undertaken a ‘problem statement’ approach as a means of highlighting significant industry risk issues and encouraging industry to address them collectively.

Specifically, the IRF has identified three high-priority risk topics for the oil and gas industry to address (see links below), and supports the industry’s focus in developing solutions:

Specifically, the IRF has identified three high-priority risk topics for the oil and gas industry to address (see links below), and supports the industry’s focus in developing solutions:

  1. Prevention of well control incidents – greater emphasis on the left-hand side of the well control bow-tie (i.e. prevention of incidents), particularly with regards to pore pressure and fracture gradient prediction and monitoring.
  2. Digitalization – reducing risks from automated systems with a human-centered design approach.
  3. Investigation quality/sharing and application of learnings – improve investigation quality and improve ways to embed learnings from past incidents and near misses.

These high-priority risk topics are documented in individual ‘Problem Statements’ that:

  • the problem
  • the changes we expect to see
  • the industry association(s) invited to lead the change/develop the solution
  • key performance indicators

Additional information on the problem statement initiative to support the continued reduction of key industry risks is provided in this presentation slide pack.

Problem Statements and Supporting Information

Well Control

Digitalization

Investigation quality/sharing and application of learnings

Topical Articles

In the interest of promoting best sustainable safety performance globally, IRF members routinely write and publish articles addressing areas of concern, and areas where further actions are required within the industry to reduce risk.

Please check back regularly for new articles.