3.26.2012

Strengthening CEO Links with EHS/S and Risk Management

A recent survey of leading European companies, conducted by the Ashridge Business School and University of St. Gallen and reported in the MIT Sloan Management Review (Spring 2012), suggests that links between corporate functions and the CEO could be stronger.

Some of the reported consequences of these weak links include: mixed performance, more bureaucracy, a sense of C-Suite interference, lack of cooperation from operating managers, and a focus on transactional issues as opposed to value-added ones.

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Posted By | in 360 Perspective, Auditing & Metrics, Innovation, Risk Management, Strategic Thinking & Planning | Tags: , , , | No Comments »

3.15.2012

Building a Culture of Assurance

The value of building a “culture of assurance” was one of the key reflections shared by BP’s Vice President of HSSE Steve Flynn at the IOSH conference in Manchester, England, March 6–7, 2012.

Flynn examined the role of systems, engineering, and people in contributing to the incident, discussed key points relating to the “change journey” at BP, and shared some reflections/lessons learned that EHS professionals could take away from the event’s investigations.

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3.13.2012

Deepwater Horizon Reflections for Risk Management & EHS Professionals

The Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill investigations impart many lessons regarding how to improve EHS management. At the IOSH Conference in Manchester, England, March 6–7, 2012, Steve Flynn, the vice president of health, safety, security, and environment (HSSE) at BP, discussed some of the lessons learned.

During the Q&A session following his presentation, Flynn was asked what “reflections” he had that could help the audience avoid catastrophic accidents. He responded with six items: Read More

Posted By | in Innovation, Personal Mastery, Risk Management | Tags: , | 1 Comment »

3.9.2012

Integrated Risk Management – Key Learning from Deepwater Horizon

At the IOSH Conference in Manchester, England this week, risk- and evidence-based management was a prime topic. During a presentation of particular interest, Steve Flynn, the vice president of health, safety, security, and environment (HSSE) for BP, reported on numerous continual improvement actions that BP has taken since the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill in April 2010.

One of the key lessons learned, Flynn reported, was the need for and value of an integrated risk management approach, embedded throughout the value chain. He spoke of this in terms of a balance between people and systems, pointing to the importance of not only focusing on systems, such as a formal EHS management system, but also on the overall culture and perceptions of employees, including management. His comments reflect BP’s organizational learning, based on the Grangemouth, Forties Alpha, and Texas City accidents, as well as the Deepwater Horizon spill. Read More

Posted By | in Emerging Issues, Risk Management | Tags: , , , , | No Comments »