Well Operations Crew Resource Management

The International Association of Oil and Gas Producers has published guidance for Well Operations Crew Resource Management (WOCRM) training for Oil and Gas producers. WOCRM training provides the knowledge, skills and motivation for wellsite crew involved in safety critical operations in order to:

• Perform effectively in a team context.
• Recognise deterioration in cognitive and interpersonal skills in themselves and others.
• Enable crew members to intervene and to accept interventions from others in a timely and effective manner

Well Operations Crew Resource Management (WOCRM) derives from training programmes developed in the aviation industry has proven to be effective in addressing the human factors and non-technical skills failures that can lead to incidents and accidents. Effective implementation of CRM can potentially reduce the risk of adverse events in other industries. In the aviation, nuclear and marine industries, operational staff regularly receive CRM training to maintain or improve their non-technical skills.

Adverse outcomes in well operations have been associated with failures in non-technical aspects of performance — team working, risk assessment, leadership, decision making, and communication. The Macondo blowout being one high profile example. The IOGP recommended course syllabus is based on current scientific research into human performance with the aim of improving the non-technical skills of the individual in a team setting, enhancing skills for dealing with time-pressured critical events and avoiding critical incidents.