18 minute read
TAC: Testing questions for management of Covid-19 infections
TESTING QUESTIONS FOR MANAGEMENT of Covid-19 infections
In April, at the start of the Covid pandemic, there was much debate about whether testing had a place to play in the control of the disease. Since then the value of testing has been repeatedly demonstrated in many different situations.
In the last few weeks mass testing in Liverpool is being seen as a success not just in terms of the mobilisation exercise which has seen close to 100,000 tests undertaken in 10 days, but also the detection of 648 cases of viral carriage in asymptomatic individuals and removing them as potential sinks for infection from the community. This can only have a positive effect and will doubtless reduce the number of cases from the 700/100,000 level that saw the introduction of tier 3 measures.
In the North Sea, testing has helped reduced infection rates in the offshore industry by excluding asymptomatic carriers of the virus at the stage of mobilisation. The rate of positive tests in premobilisation offshore workers has mirrored, and indeed pre-dated, observed national trends in Covid detection. Pre-mobilisation testing has meant that there have been few cases of Covid detected offshore and the widespread infections predicted after the experience on board cruise ships and the USS Theodore Roosevelt have not materialised.
But which test to use? The tests used in Liverpool and featuring the Government’s Operation Moonshot are lateral flow tests and are a move away from the accepted “gold standard” PCR test which has been used for testing in the N Sea.
Lateral flow tests are certainly much cheaper than PCR tests - meaning that they are an affordable option for mass and repeated screening. In addition the relative ease of use means that can be easily rolled out to large populations- in Slovakia half the population (3.6m people) were tested in October.
Ken Park, Clinical Director of the TAC Healthcare Group The limitation comes in the accuracy of the tests. Oxford University and the government’s Porton Down facility found that the sensitivity of the lateral flow tests was 76.8% at high viral loads and fell to 56% when tested in a community setting. In Slovakia, even with this level of inaccuracy, mass testing has reduced the number of new cases from 3,363/day to 2,579 cases/day. Although this is a good result for public health it would not be regarded as a success for screening where the aim is the total exclusion of infection from an area or industry sector. The enviable record of the UK Oil and Gas sector in controlling infections is based on PCR testing in which the sensitivity of the testing process is in excess of 90%. In contrast, if the lateral flow testing was used it is likely that a quarter of positive cases would slip through to off shore facilities i.e. since April 84,000 premobilisation tests have been performed and 756 positive cases were excluded from the work place, if lateral flow tests had been used 174 – 322 cases would have been missed. Even if only 20% of these individuals developed symptoms 35-64 additional CMED evacuations would have been required however each of the 174 to 322 missed cases would have had the potential to cause widespread infection offshore.
The whole debate about testing has been hampered by a blinkered approach to the problem and one solution does not fit all situations. Repeat tests with lateral flow kits maybe the answer to controlling infection in Slovakia and may reduce the infection rate in Liverpool but they are not the best test to prevent infection getting to N Sea oil facilities. The answer to the question of which test is best is - pick the right test for the situation, perform it at the right time and you will get the right results.
RISK MANAGEMENT & WELLBEING through robust management systems
With COVID-19 dominating the news headlines it has become apparent that the only certainty right now is uncertainty. The risks and disruption caused to businesses globally has been well publicised.
Organisations have always faced threats and this is nothing new, with risks ranging from global pandemics to evolving technologies or increased market competition.
There are a range of techniques available to help identify, analyse and treat risk, aiding organisations to keep ahead of threats that could be detrimental to their success. Accounting and planning for the unexpected is not an easy feat, however, guidelines provided within “ISO 31000 Risk Management Standard” can assist organisations to achieve objectives, improve the identification of opportunities and threats and effectively allocate and use resources for the treatment of risks.
The risk management process includes the following key elements:
Risk Identification
• Identification of risks, areas of impacts and potential events that could prevent you from achieving your objectives.
Risk Analysis
• Understanding the sources and causes of the identified risks. • Studying probabilities and consequences given the existing controls (residual risk).
Risk Evaluation
• Comparing risk analysis results with risk criteria to determine whether the risk criteria is tolerable.
Risk Treatment
• Decisions made to treat or accept risks with consideration of internal, legal, regulatory, and external party requirements.” • Define your level of commitment and determine what resources you will be able to allocate to implement and maintain your risk management system.
Risk Monitoring and review
• Measure risk management performance against indicators, which are periodically reviewed for appropriateness. • Review the risk policy and plan with organisations external and internal context for appropriateness • Your risk management process should be dynamic, and responsive to change and facilitate continual improvement of the organisation. It is not mandatory to have a documented risk management process however many of the Management System Standards including ISO 9001 (Quality), 45001 (Health & Safety), 14001 (Environmental) and 27001 (Information Security) detail that organisations should have a methodology in place to effectively identify risks and opportunities as part of their QHSE Management System. By considering risks and managing them appropriately you are likely to improve your organisations ability to achieve stated objectives.
QHSE Aberdeen Limited have assisted many organisations to create a tailored, systematic, and structured risk management framework to explicitly address uncertainty on a safety, financial, strategic or project level. We use the best information available to build a framework to help protect your organisation as well as add value and achieve key objectives. We can also deliver risk management training or create risk assessments specific to your business. For a full list of services please see our website www.qhseaberdeen.com
We continue to live through very unusual times, learning to adapt with the mitigations enforced on us. We have had to change our ‘normal’ working conditions with many staff now working remotely and being at home alone. This introduces a new risk that most would not have planned for prior to COVID-19. Organisations need to ensure sustainability whilst balancing employee wellbeing and the focus on employees physical and mental health is greater now than ever before. Feeling stress, boredom and anxiety is understandable and employers are all learning together on how best to manage this.
There are a number of useful resources related to the wellbeing of your employees providing simple tips and managing strategies. Please see below links: www.mind.org.uk/information-support/coronavirus/coronavirus-and-your-wellbeing/ www.scope.org.uk/advice-and-support/mental-health-and-coronavirus www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/ QHSE Aberdeen consultants are also working remotely (wherever possible), continuing to support our clients, creating and delivering training packages through conference media & video sessions.
HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY QHSE ABERDEEN LTD.
As we approach our 5th year anniversary this December, we are proud and fortunate to be able to continue our planned growth of the Organisation with an increased customer base and the recent recruitment of two further QHSE Consultants to complement our Specialist Team. We are able to offer our clients assistance with ISO Management System development, implementation & continuous conformance as well as providing expert project focused Quality, Health & Safety, Environmental and Information Security dedicated consultancy.
Managing Director, Dave Rusling remarked “ It has been a tough year but we have managed to keep to our more staff and we definitely see light at the end of the tunnel. These last 5 years have been hard work but we have a great team and together we have become one of the best known QHSE Consultancy firms in the North East of Scotland, gaining a great reputation and being positively referred by our Customers. Our client base has grown UK wide and Internationally and we are very thankful to our Customers for giving us the opportunity to support them in their own continued growth, by adopting ISO Management Systems.”
During our 5 years in business, we have assisted organisations of all sizes and sectors to Develop, Implement and Maintain their ISO Management Systems, we have provided Project staff On and Offshore and delivered many in-house Training Courses. Our specialist staff are on hand to carry out QA/QC, QHSE 1st, 2nd and 3rd Party Audits as well as offer advice target and expand our business, recruit
& consultancy in relation to Quality, Health & Safety, Environment & Information Security Management.
Angela Scott, Director, also said “ We wish to thank our customers, for their continued support and look forward to working with new and existing clients for another 5+ years, continually improving and evolving as we have done in the last 5 years. Plan, Do, Check, Act.”
OGV Q&A MENTAL HEALTH
1It’s estimated that around 1 in 7 people within the UK workplace are suffering with a mental health condition, yet many are still reluctant or scared to talk about it. How can oil and gas leaders tackle the stigma of mental health?
Brian Dow
Brian Dow, Chief Executive, Mental Health UK
The key approach combines top down and bottom up . On the basis that everyone has mental health, leaders being open about their own mental health – the steps they take to maintain and protect it helps create a norm. Equally allowing employees to find ways to elevate the conversation makes a huge difference. Think of it in three steps
1. Preventative – sending the signals in your recruitment that you are a mentally healthy employer. Encouraging people to declare if they have an existing mental health problem; doing some clear benchmarking; training managers on how to have constructive conversations around this issue
2. Early intervention – stepping in when someone is becoming ill; encouraging a degree of flexibility, small enhancements that might make a big difference (eg a quiet space), employee assistance programmes, using case studies for people to talk about their mental health etc
3. Postvention – having good policies so that if someone has gone off ill and is returning you help break the cycle. WRAP – wellness action return plans make a huge difference
Brett Townsley, Director, OSi
In terms of stigma we are of course dealing with several factors such as societal disapproval, the tough guy culture within our industry, and also unintentional stigma created within the industry. As an industry we create unintentional systemic stigma by devaluing mental health within the workplace. The message is both physical and emotional wellbeing must be treated equally. Yet while we invest heavily with time, effort and money in both reactive and preventative measures for physical safety in the workplace including on things such as investigation, root cause analysis, measurement and prevention, we however do not do the same for mental health or emotional safety. By doing this we devalue mental health, and provide an inconsistent message that signals to our workforce physical safety is more important than emotional safety. When In fact we have a legal and moral duty to prevent both. Consider this if we are told on a regular basis two things are of equal importance but only one gains any investment in terms of finances, time and effort, then how could we expect anyone to interpret them as equal. If we want people to understand emotional hazards, identify them and prevent them then we must invest in the systems to aid them, just as we do with physical safety.
Sripad Gopala, Chief Operating Officer, Imrandd
There are many social stigmas attached to mental health, particularly in the workplace. In tough, high pressure environments such as oil and gas, people are expected to work long hours, sometimes away from home. There’s a common perception that people should just get on with it or “man up” if things go wrong. Thankfully we are seeing a change in mindset and a commitment from employers to provide more support. At Imrandd we focus on having, open, honest and frank discussions. We strive to provide a safe environment where disclosing and speaking out about mental health is not considered a weakness, and we offer support and flexibility to our workforce to help them manage any aspect of their mental health that may cause them anguish or concern.
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How does an organisation ensure they’re actively monitoring and supporting the workforce when it comes to mental health?
Brian Dow, Chief Executive, Mental Health UK
I hope that answer above helps answer so the only thing I would add is to make sure you do not “problematise” it. When someone declares they are having a problem, allowing them to be part of the solution is key. You will engender loyalty and trust. Also make sure you are clamping down on stigmatising language as this can really make people wary of talking about their health. Lastly models like the stress bucket really help – see Mental Health UK website
Brett Townsley, Director, OSi
We manage what we monitor, so think does your business have a mental health policy or assessment of emotional hazards? Does the business have leading and lagging indicators for mental health? If not how can we monitor or support. Currently we are reliant upon conventional methods in terms of mental health, which means we are not monitoring it rather simply reacting to issues. We apply these once the individual is exhibiting signs of mental health issues or when the person has in fact moved into struggling or crisis mode. At this stage we are simply applying care to the individual this is of course a requirement, however we should be applying preventative measures to identify the emotional hazards that moved the individual from the coping stage into struggling or crisis. Our attention is focused on application of the plaster rather than hazard prevention. By creation of bespoke systemic solutions we can use our data to identify, measure, monitor, prevent and or reduce our mental health workplace issues. If we really want to support our workforce this must be the goal.
Sripad Gopala, Chief Operating Officer, Imrandd
Fundamentally, you need to ensure your management understand the factors that affect mental wellbeing in and outside the workplace. Training may be needed for management to adequately address and communicate with employees. It’s also important to identify and review the processes and support mechanisms you have in place to assess the impact this has. Ensuring inclusiveness, diversity and flexible working will enhance morale and workforce engagement, this in turn boosts productivity, confidence and self-worth.
3What would you say to someone reading this who’s struggling with any aspect of their mental health?
Brian Dow, Chief Executive, Mental Health UK
Try to be open with someone you trust. Although things are changing the prevalence of mental health problems means that you are almost certainly likely to be speaking to someone who has some sort of experience of it through family or friends. And remember your employer has a legal duty to support their staff and not discriminate. Also, on the basis that mental ill health is the single biggest cause of absenteeism if you can help your employer help you then you are almost certainly helping your business shape its practice to improve its bottom line.
Brett Townsley
Brett Townsley, Director, OSi
Firstly, remember you are not alone, we all experience mental health on a continuous basis moving from coping, struggling and crisis. If you have begun to identify in ourselves or those around us difficulties in coping with mental health issues, we must engage with someone for a safe space conversation, this is known as shared worrying. This is the point our interventions such as first aid for mental health come to the fore, having trained skilled individuals to assist and facilitate these types of interventions are critical in terms of signposting those in need to the right type of support. However as an employer, we should be assessing how the emotional distress was created and applying solutions to prevent re-occurrence.
WELLBEING and working from home
Since the Covid-19 outbreak our lives have changed beyond recognition. We now know we CAN work from home but are we flourishing?
The energy industry workforce is dealing with change on an unprecedented scale. These changes are not the usual cyclical ups and downs linked to oil price. Instead, the whole industry is having to deal with the impacts of achieving net zero targets whilst also coping with a global pandemic. At the same time, the energy industry is being challenged to meet one of the biggest challenges of the 21st century (other than finding a COVID-19 vaccine). Providing energy to a growing global population while dealing with the climate change emergency requires the best of human ingenuity and creativity.
Sripad Gopala, Chief Operating Officer, Imrandd
Life is exceptionally tough for everyone right now, and it may seem impossible to open up. However finding someone you can trust – either a friend, family member or someone at work who you can talk to - is the first step in getting the support you need. Your employer has a moral and legal duty of care to look after you, so don’t be embarrassed or worried about talking things through and making them aware. Often even the biggest of problems are solved by talking things through and seeking out support.
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As an employer, are there signs to look out for to identify if someone is struggling with their health & wellbeing?
Sripad Gopala, Chief Operating Officer, Imrandd Sripad Gopala
It’s hard to pinpoint any one sign or symptom, and so I believe a manager should really take the time to know their employees, so they can quickly notice anything that may seem out of character. For example, if a typically quiet or shy person suddenly becomes argumentative, that can be an indication. Or when a gregarious person becomes withdrawn, that can be another. Because we are a tight-knit community at Imrandd, we have experienced instances where these sorts of observations have been the avenue to open up the conversation and identify whether someone is struggling. And of course, both physical and mental health is often a matter of privacy, so there’s not always an obligation or expectation that someone needs to share.
Achieving this requires a whole new level of innovation, collaboration and resilience. In turn this requires people to have good level wellbeing levels. Can we achieve this while we’re working from home?
This is a question that Susan Brimmer, an HR professional with 20 years’ experience in the energy industry is asking in her PhD research project with the University of Aberdeen.
“I believe we need to find creative solutions that allows us to flourish in this hybrid working environment. There are many benefits to working from home and we have a chance to unlock greater efficiencies and take some vital first steps towards reducing our impact on the environment, kick starting a return to a greener way of life. However, there are also many challenges to working in isolation. I want to explore this topic thoroughly so we can develop a viable way of working that brings us more time for our loved ones and ourselves while developing a more sustainable long-term
Susan is so committed to focusing on and accelerating the research that she has given up her job at OGTC in Aberdeen.
“I started the PhD part-time 2 years ago and it will take another 4 years to complete it if I continue in this mode. By then the findings will be obsolete and I will have missed my opportunity to help. The world is changing
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How can an employer approach an employee about concerns without overstepping?
energy industry”. Susan explains.
Sripad Gopala, Chief Operating Officer, Imrandd
Normalising conversations, creating awareness sessions, challenging perceptions and ensuring people feel comfortable - these are all good ways of encouraging more open dialog around mental health awareness. At Imrandd we offer a supportive environment where employees feel they can speak up about their health and not feel ashamed or embarrassed to talk. We offer confidentiality in all conversations and provide sign-posting to mental health resources.
Susan Brimmer
quickly, and I hope that by accelerating the project I can offer robust findings that will support, develop, motivate and realise the full potential of people working across the UK.”
Susan is currently gathering data for the first stage of the research and hopes to have some initial findings to share early in 2021. It’s not too late to take part in the research. The closing date for the confidential, online survey is Friday 11th December. So if you work in support of the UK energy industry and were office based before Covid-19 and home based since, please complete the survey! (See link below)
