2011 competence development and operator qualification in oil and gas operations in mexico

IBP1508 11 COMPETENCE OEVELOPMENT ANO OPERATOR QUALIFICATION IN OIL AND GAS OPERATIONS IN MEXICO.

September 20-22

'! r JI! Isen h~lIland("z agl'·;. ~ f'lcaz;1I 'Jóm,~z L:1~',t1::. ~' ,¡I')" __ .ln12hcz (lhcnn Cl Rn5a (;11".:>,111\ GL~i ard (1. " \lJI';:¡' 'nJiIl í (rUt~\ ;11 ,l . .. "'.nJ. Ro"" PJ.rri lla. ¡JI ~'!\I h- L ~"L.,la~.L SLdIC!1!() \lurtlll~L CiúrneL:

;J\I:l1l

Copyright 2011, Brazilian Petroleum, Gas and Biofuels lnstitute - IBP This Technica! Paper was prepared ror presentation at the Rio Pipeline Conference & Exposilion 201 J, held between September.

20-22,2011, in Rio de Janeiro. Tbis Tec hnical Paper was selected for presentation by the Technical Committee of the event. The material as ir is presentcd, does not necessarily represent Brazilian Petroleum, Gas and Biofuels Institute' opinion or that of its Members or Represcntatives. Authors consent to the publication 01' this Technical Paper in the Rio Pipeline Conference & Exposilion 2011.

Abstract Pipeline rntegrity Management is now included in the Mexican Federal Energy Re gulations. One rule in these Regulations is 'Certified Operator Quali fication' which is applicable to all operations of oil, gas and other hazardous fluid transportation in PEMEX. The competency and training of pipeline staff is a critical part of the safe operation of any pipeline. Consequently, human resources development in the pipeline industry is a major concern. This paper presents a report on the career development of staff in the operators of the 60,000 ki lometers of oil and gas pipelines in Mexico. This development program involved identifying Covered Tasks (CT's) related to the safety and performance of the operations of compressor stations, pumping stations, and control centers. Among the selected critical tasks were start-up and shut-down of a pipeline, monitoring pressures and flows , valve operation, communications, operation within allowable limits, purging, and pipeline integrity. [nterviews and evaluations allowed the identificatíon of CT' s and responsibilitíes for each job profile, as well as the relevant competencies required for these tasks to ensure safety and best performance. [n the case of CT"s, modules \Vere developed , including educational objectives, contents, key concepts and keywords, questionnaires, references and internal industrial procedures for operatio ns and safety. The training and operator qualification procedures were developed following lhe guidelines in compliance with standards in the USA Oepartment OfTransportatio n (OOT) Regulations.

1. Introduction Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) and its Human Resources (HR) department integrated in the last few years several strategies for organizational modernization. In a joint effort the Corporative Direction of Operations (OCO) and the Corporative Oirection of Administrations (DCA) of Pemex instructed the areas of HR and the Subdirection of the Coordination of Pemex Transportation System by Pipeline (SCSTO) to engage in a pilot project for the training and qualí fication of the personne[ in charge of the maintenance and operations of PEMEX pipelines with the objective to train, evaluate and certify their workforce and to comply with the regulations.

Mechanical Engineer - Subdirector, Pemex Refinación , Petróleos Mexicanos.

2 Mechanical Engineer -Subdirector, Dirección Corporativa de Operaciones, Petróleos Mexicanos.

3 Ph D. Physics - Project Director, Dirección Corporativa de Operaciones, Petróleos Mexicanos.

4 Master Sociology - Gen~r~1 Director at Consultores Formo Internacional.

5 Master Sociology - Executive Director at Consultores Formo Internacional

6 Master Psicology - Human Resources at Petróleos Mexicanos.

7 Bachellor Social Communications - Communications Director at Corrosión y Protección

Ingen ¡ería.

8 Ph D. Physics - Research Projects Director at Instituto Tecnológico de Calkiní.

I

Río

PEMEX integrated a two-way in crítical or covered tasks produclivilY

program. The first was Ihe qualification of maintenance and personnel The second was ¡he developmenl of transversal skills lO ímprove ¡he business

is a and adopted Ihe leadíng oil and Iransportation companies in Ihe United States and Canada since the year 200 l in compliance with the Code of Federal (CFR)192 and 195 (5)(6) of the Department of Transportatíon (DOT), The and certiíication on transversal is a practice Ihat in Ihe decade of 1980 in order to work and guide Ihe training, evaluatioll and certification of started in the induslries personneL The model oflhís program was based on Ihe reform oflhe vocalional educalion and training in ¡he U.K.

a program The pilo! program was established by PEMEX in 2009 with the vision of for Ihe development oftechnical and transversal skills, The eore ofthis pilot projecl was ¡he qualifiealion ofthe operators in eovered lasks reJated to their aClivities al work and ¡he identifica¡ion and qualificalion of Iransversal coherence and lo Ihe of Ihe syslems in PEMEX skills necessary 10 (l

qualificalion is based on the aptitude oflhe personnel 10 recognize and reaet lo abnormal operating condítions 150 covered tasks that lhe transportation of hazardous materials and Ihe definition of that can occur can be among operalíon and maintenance lo their activities al work,

programs have proven benefits in ¡he safely and in for the III

compliance wilh the mandalory requirements oflhe US Iha! have developed and certificatíon programs

for the operators thal perform critical 01' covered tasks.

The strategy of human resources development in PE!Vl EX has been aímed at linking Ihe learning processes wíth the

conten! ofthe personneJ's activitíes al work (3). The development oflransversaJ skills has

Ihe funclionality orlhe systems wilhin the company such as Ihe

Mechanícal and Quality Assurance (lMAC) and (OD). The compelenees developmenl of lhe UNESCO for Ihe formatíon of people for life and work and program adopted PEMEX is based on lhe ¡he oflhe OCDE for lhe integralion of organizalions and individuals 10 markets with high levels of competitiveness and at work and environmental care, In order lo comply, operalor programs in lhe US had 10 take il1lo consideralion Ihe implementatíon of mechanisms thal could verifY and slore all and the basie personal information orlhe operators.

For PEMEX pilot prograrn all and basie personal ínformatíon was slored in electronic systems (8) (1). were idenlified One ofthe oulcomes oflhe operator qualíficalion pilot program as applied is that while also established actions lo the technicai and aspects of the inslitution. Furthermore Ihe program has helped PEMEX adopl same oflhe bes! praclices in Ihe oil and pipeline transportation industry. program described in this artide included a fírsl stage tha! was devoted lo and qualífícatíon oflhe to and react 10 abnormal condítions and Ihe training and qualifícalion on a group oftechnical covered tasks and core Iransversal ski lis. The transversal skills where: Problem solving in a work siluation, solutions 10 others and teamwork.

1n the pasl ¡hree years this program has gained evalualíons, storage and profiles administratíon and levels 01' in a lraining program Ihal can help wilh very inerease lhe producti vily of lhe business.

of sessions, a new way 10 involve operators Ihe safely in the operations and

2. Background in Ihe decade of2000 Ihe ínitialives wílhin PEMEX were lO implement an operalor program, Since instruments of Ihe D.O,T. In 2007 PEMEX Exploración y Producción (PEP) almos! since Ihe establíshment ofthe established a Pipeline Management known as PAlO for its initials in Spanish. A in the PEP 2

Rio Pipeline Con/erence & Exposition PAID establishes an operator qualification program based on the initiative by the DOT and the Code of Federal Regulations CFR 49 parts 192 and 195 (5) (6).

Operator qualification is a training and certification system for personnel in charge ofthe mechanical and electrical instrumentation, maintenance, operations and corrosion control ofoil and gas transportation pipelines. In the U.S. the guidelines of the program where established in 1999 and the rule was not applied until 2002 giving oil and gas transportation companies nearly 3 years to comply. The regulations CFR 49 part 192 for hazardous gases and CFR 49 part 195 for hazardous liquids established that operator qualification should be based fundamentaJly in the development of the aptitude to recognize and react to abnormal operating conditions that occur during the process of oil and gas transportation (8).

The rule adopted by PEMEX required the establishment ofa covered task list and the qualification processes associated with the most important activities in all critical areas ofthe pipeline system.

The definition of aH covered tasks was based on four basic criteria: l.

2.

3.

4.

The The The The

task task task task

complies with an official regulation. is closely related to the operation and maintenance. is relevant to the integrity ofthe pipeline. is executed directly in the pipeline.

The covered task list developed by the American Petroleum Institute has been rhe basis for the fomlulation of operator qualification programs in major oil and gas transportation companies and it was taken as an important reference for the pilot program in PEMEX. Figure 1 shows the current distribution of covered tasks as in the API covered task lisl.

~(l

•

.

(

..U."'"""',,

• •

<.nl·

Al

Figure l. Distribution by topic ofthe covered tasks ofpipeline transport process according ro the American Petroleum

Institute (8) .

For the pilot program PEMEX personnel where grouped and divided according to their work profíles and their activities at work , fíve groups where formed: l.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Liquids field operations.

Liquids control ceriter operations.

Gas fíeld operations. ' .

Gas control center operations.

Corros ion control.

In North America the benefits ofthe operator qualifícation programs have been reflected in a reduction ofincidents and improved rhe administration ofthe personneJ's qualifications.

3

Rio Pipeline Conference & bposition

4","

1 ~.

•

NA1 UIIAl l .... r.l ,

O

"UM.UiI

a

r.r .\l

( p.. '

fWl....

• 0""••

2Q

•

32"'a

~~.,'

IItI 'A. f('jj\('

CH••u (.A ,,'"

Figure 2. PHMSA Significant incidents that cause failure in pipelines

Dangerous Liguids, 1998 -2009 (14).

As shown in figure 2, human error is an important percentage of significant incidents in the USo Although the information in the figure is related to the US this can be taken as a reference of the impact of human error in the oil and gas transportation ind ustry.

Operator qualification programs have also had a significant impact in all contractors associated with the operation and maintenance in the oil and gas pipeline transportation. The participation ofcontractors ofCanada and the U.S. in repairs and operation has been increasing in recent years while the companies own staff has remained constan!.

In 1995 contractors in charge ofthe execution of critical tasks and maintenance operations were as much as 1.33 times the staffofthe companies and by 2008 this ratio was 5.8 to I in favorofcontractor personnel, as reflected in Figure 3.

500Il

...x:

CO YE./U O TASX 'VFORM W IN Olt ANO GAS PlpttlNl5 DA INUS ANO CA

o

eS w ~

ti::

400C

)!JOO

O

~

V\

oc :>

2000

O

J:

1000

O ~

::

..

:: f:

... ... ~

'"

... ~

r:

..

?

~

:i!

:;

::

<>

:::

Figure 3. Evolution from 1995 to 2008 of contribution of contractors in the execution of critical task s in the pipeline transport industry in the United States and Canada (9).

Although at this moment operator qualification is applied onl y internally in PEMEX, it is important to take into consideration that the participation of contractors in the safety of the operation and integrity of oil and gas pipelines is highly important and should not be dismissed.

Regarding the transversal competences or skills development the UK is the leader in the design and implementation of the occupational standards qualification systems since the early 1980 ·s. British vocational education and training model has helped many industries and .many developing co untries to have a more competent and organized workforce. The model at first in the UK was aimed at improving the quality ofeducation in the contexl ofwork lO improve levels of competitiveness and productivity of its industrial organizations. (3)( 1) To date, the UK has generated 36.000 standards of competence in different production areas which have been used to upgrade the qualification, evaluation, selection and remuneration systems for personnel (14).

4

Río

Table lo Standards

for lhe

(10)

L,,);lT~

OI COl\IPITE'\CE

Opt.ntíon and maintel'lllIlct' Opentiol1 oftrau5}rort:lllon and m arn tfJl am:: e III tht

::tnd ga~ Hong\? and m:aintenance in statiOllS .\Iainttnam:.e of g/u di.mibutlon nemorks and pipeHnts Openrlon 21nd m lIinttnanc e oí gll, dhtribution netWorks and EI~clrical $ystems

3. Application of the training

A pilot experience in PEMEX

The slralegy for the qualification of human resources was developed for PEMEX lO the Iransformation of work organizalion and international in the contexl in order to standardize (he work processes al an international level. In its global strategy PEMEX is the managemenl of human resources through several processes; among them ís lhe identification oftechnical and transversal skills 10 be used as reference for lhe evaluatíon, training and certification of personneL The human resources traÍning in Ihis project inc1uded Ihe development oftransversal skills to support ¡he technical skills management demanded lhe process wi¡h the lo improve ¡he articulation of the Withín the framework in Ihe program the slrategy was the and 10 increase the productivity oflhe business (4) (1 training and qualification of 130 operators of Pemex in ¡hree areas: 1)

in ¡he basic covered task

2)

conditionso 3nd reac! to abnormal 12 of Corrosíon Control and 9 of Gas and Liquids Pipeline

Operatiol1so 3) !\nd traíning in three transversal skills

troubleshooling in a work situation, cOITImunicating solutions

lo others and teamworko The decísion to carry out the 1)

2)

process was based on the

premises:

lhe needs ofhuman resources 10 achieve and effectiveness ofthe productÍon systems. process líes in understanding the relationship between the productive and The technical infrastructure that SuppO¡1S the a Irained and a qualified workforce.

The relation between the systems and the systems the applicalion ofthe Security Subsystem Management Process (SASP). Jv1echanical Integrity and Assurance (IMAC) and Discipline This relatíon is determined several factors the organizational culture that the company has built and il to both internal and external relationships that establish Ihe systems and the who compose it as a wholeo Transversal skills are related lo !he application oftechnical and knowledge results-oriented tha! need lO possess to achieve results. Whenever Ihe production system is processes, and therefore, ¡he foéus in the conlext is in ¡he lo "do" lo Ihe critería establ ¡shed by the rather ¡han knowledge ¡he attemíon to competences whether of human resourceso or transversal has become a critical point for lhe to apply thal Technical skiJls describe the !echnical nature ofwork while transversal ski lis describe the the necessary support for (he development ofthe technical and organizational nalure ofthe knowledge and to 5

Río

In Ihis program it was considered necessary lo conducl a process thal would seek to qualify lhe human resources through a process that could bOlh technical and transversal competences to internalional standards in Ihe lndustry. and react 10 abnormal The bastc covered lask lis complexity, the information was then crossed wilh the needs of identified the own company and such information was associated lo Ihe transversal competencies tha! gave response to Ihe needs tha! were identified. This percentage of failures in lhe in terms of have been basic covered task is relevant because a of lhe reported to be related to human error. The pilol program took Ihis lask as a fundamental part in the learning reslllts 10 achieve ¡he certification process.

The

process included Ihe application of different melhods of adlllt edllcalíon. In Ihe case oftechnical particular emphasis on process lO lhe of pumping systems, systems and corrosion control. The pmgram divided PEMEX personnel into f1ve groups each with Iheir own sel of covered lasks based on lhe 4 criteria mentioned and the API list. The distribution was the fol Personnel: AOC L Abnormal Conditions (General), 43.1 Start-up 43.3 Monitor pressures, flows, communications and tine integrity 43.4 Manually or open or close valves or other equipment, and maintain them within allowable 50 L Purge Gas from a 51 L Air from a Pipeline.

Field

43.2 Shutdown of a

2.

ine Control Center Operatíons Personnel: AOC Abnonnal Conditions (General), 43.1 of a 43.2 Shutdown of a pipeline, 43.3 Monitor pressures, communications and Hne and maintain Ihem within atlowable limits, 43.4 or remotely open or c10se val ves or other equipment, 50 L Gas from a 51 L Air fram a

3. Gas Operations Personnel: AOC L Abnorma!

43.1 Start-lIp of a and pipeline, 43.2 Shutdown of a pipeline. 43 Monitor pressures. tlows, commllnications and line maintain Ihem within allowable limits, 43.4 open or clase val ves or olher equipment, 50 G Gas fmm a Pipeline. 51 G Air from a 4. Gas Pipeline Control Center Operations Personnel: AOC L Abnormal Operating Conditions 43.1 Start-up of a 43.2 Shutdown of a pipeline, 43.3 Monitor presSlIres, flows, communícalions and line and maintaín them within a!lowable ¡imits. 43.4 Manually or open or close valves or other Gas from a Pipelíne, 51 G Air from a ,..,r'''fllIt: equipment, 50 G 5. Gas and Liqllids "v1aintenance-Corrosion Control Personnel: Abnormal Conditions (General), 1.1 Measure structure-to-soil potentials. 1.2 Condllct clase inlerval survey, 1.3 Test to detect interfcrence, lA and test isolation 2 LlG Maintain Test Leads, Inspect and perform electrical test ofbonds, 1 2.1 Inspect and test lead 2.2 damaged test leads, 2.3 Install test leads by non­ methods, 3 LlG Inspect Reetifier exothermic welding methods, 2.4 Tnstall test ¡cads by exothermie from a rectifier, 3.2 Cheek for proper of a rectifier.

3.! Obtain a . and currenl output references and internal industrial contents, coneepts and keywords, performance verificatíons and slide where tor each covered task. The process for was measured the acquisition of written and Ihe evalllation ofthe technical evaluatíons in the site. The transversal skills and evaluation focused on the and \Vas assessed evidence of competence procurement in work situatioJls. development Edllcational

however other needs where identified in retalion lo the acquisition of basie skills.

The two schemes where needs· were visualized for ¡he ¡hat the eompany is ¡nlrod ucing.

4. Advances in the operator qualification in PEMEX. The qualifica¡ion proeess for operators in PEMEX has made a ofthis maintenance and operation. In the

Meant progress in Ihe las! three years in ¡he areas of performed studies in control a group of 6

Rio Pipeline Conference & F_xposilion

centers and compression and pumping stations and found great similarities with the findings ofthe American Petroleum Institute (API) in terms ofthe list most important and critical tasks that are performed in oil and gas pipelines. There is now consensus that the API covered task list keeps a close similarity with the activities performed in PEMEX.

The tour revealed that basic critical tasks applicable to the functions ofthe operation had a distribution as shown in Figure 4.

Figure 4. Distribution of critical tasks taken from the results of the studies developed in compression stations, pumping stations and control centers.

The results of the study allowed the training program for control centers, compression and pumping stations to focus each group of operators to a set of specific covered tasks directly related to their activities at work. And aJso, some very specific training modules where ueveloped. For example, a module to identify and operate valves and a second one for the use of the control center simulator in PEMEX where developed. For each group the training materials were deveJoped with a different approach. For example control center operators supervise certain covered tasks but do not perform the task in the field. These different levels of participation had to be taken into consideration.

Teaching material s, tables for laboratory practices, evaluations and slide presentations were developed for each covered task. Figure 5. Shows so me of the manllals that where developed.

Figure 5. Sample qllalificati on training manuals DlIring the training processit was identified that performance evaluation accounts for the greatest amount oftime. \Ve also fOllnd that staffturnover is a key element that affects the knowled ge and domain of covered tasks. Figure 6 shows pictures ofthe training and ev~luation process.

7