RRC Case Studies

Oman Oil Refineries and Petroleum Industries Company (ORPIC) - Oman

ORPIC conduct a complete turnaround every 2 years of the oil refinery they operate in Sohar, Oman.  This high-cost, large maintenance project includes opening vessels, replacing equipment, repairing pipelines and carrying out high-risk tasks.  Such a large project involves thousands of workers and it is essential that all activities are conducted precisely to avoid accidents, damage and delays.

RRC was contracted in 2009 and 2013 to safely manage the project.  RRC employed our HSE practitioners to provide field management for all high-risk activities, starting with the planning phase and moving onto project execution and starting up the plant to produce oil.

Mr. Juma AlMukhaini, HSE Specialist at ORPIC, on RRC assistance and training:

“RRC practitioners have helped us to reduce costs tremendously and save lives that could have otherwise been lost due to the high risk of the activities being carried out.  ORPIC HSE needed help to ensure all of our contractors’ work was controlled and monitored.  Such success in this project would not have been realized without the help of RRC.”

Bahrain

As part of their oil and gas services, Schlumberger Overseas provide frequent standard compliance training to all employees working on their oil and gas installations.  The training required for this included H2S Awareness, Basic Fire Fighting, First Aid and Confined Space Entry.

RRC have provided training for over 250 employees from all levels of the organisation over the last 2-3 years.

On why Schlumberger Overseas chose RRC to provide their Bahrain training, Mr. Salah Aldeen, Safety Manager, commented:

“The oil and gas industry has a very strict working environment that requires all workers (including management) to be trained in how to act in the face of danger.  RRC have trained all our employees and contractors working in Bahrain over the last 2-3 years to ensure legal compliance and prove assurance to our stakeholders that Schlumberger Overseas are competent to work safely in oil and gas installations.”

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

In 2015, RRC trained over 80 Saudi Electricity Company employees, including Line Managers, Engineers, HSE Specialists and trainees, for the NEBOSH International General Certificate and NEBOSH Award in Health and Safety.  RRC delivered the Award course in English and Arabic at various venues including Bahrain, Dubai and London.

Mr. Rashid Alrashid, specialist in HSE Training, Saudi Electricity Company on why they chose RRC:

“We chose RRC over other providers because RRC give us the best results in terms of quality training and integrity.  They provide the best training material and tuition that is available worldwide.”

Group Online Learning Programme (May 2015 to Present)

Unilever PLC are a multinational consumer goods company which operates worldwide. Their Latin American division (Unilever LATAM) has sites in multiple countries from Mexico down to Argentina.

RRC were approached by Unilever LATAM to provide a range of options and models for training to improve the companies own internal progression in the HSE field.  Their overall aim was to develop a standard level of knowledge in HSE management for operations in Latin America through a bespoke training plan that could then be put into practise across by Unilever's sites.

Through consultation with key project stakeholders on the client side, recommendations were made on the most suitable courses for different roles an online learning solution was agreed.  This saw 61 individuals being enrolled in NEBOSH health & safety and environmental certificate level programmes - the NEBOSH Environmental Certificate and the NEBOSH International General Certificate, with examinations being arranged by RRC throughout the region.  RRC provided webinar training for participants at the start of the programme to set the scene. RRC then provided ongoing learner support and frequent reporting on the groups’ progress. The initial wave of learners are all completed their training in late 2016.

RRC have delivered several courses for Manchester Metropolitan University, and have therefore built an established relationship with the university. 

Manchester Metropolitan University is a modern and diverse university, with a focus on inclusivity for all. The 600-strong Estates, Facilities and Capital Development Directorate (EFCD) employs staff in a range of technical roles and there is a need to have them appropriately trained in health and safety. We have spoken exclusively to Marcelle Blinston, the Quality and Compliance Officer for EFCD. 

What benefits have your teams received from health and safety training?

MB: Manchester Metropolitan University is committed to achieving high standards of health and safety. Training our staff ensures the ongoing effective management of health and safety risks. The NEBOSH and IOSH courses offered by RRC provide our staff with a good understanding around health and safety at work. The courses ensure staff have a good appreciation of the legal requirements around health and safety, as well as giving them practical skills to effectively manage risks.

Have you noticed improvements within the directorate after training has taken place?

MB: Absolutely! As a result of completing the IOSH Managing Safely® course, our Facilities Duty Managers have been able to lead by example and cascade what they have learnt down to their teams. This has helped ensure there is a good understanding of health and safety at all levels within the organisation.

What has been the most popular course and why?

MB: RRC have delivered three sessions of IOSH Managing Safely® here at Manchester Metropolitan University. Feedback has been extremely positive, with all delegates achieving a 100% pass rate. We would definitely consider RRC for delivering future IOSH Working Safely sessions. 

Why did you choose RRC?

MB: RRC offer very competitive rates and their courses are flexible, for example, you can book block courses or spread them out to one day a week over several weeks. Most importantly, the RRC trainers delivering the IOSH courses are first class. 

How have RRC helped with the process of providing HSE training?

MB: RRC offers a wide range of health, safety and environmental courses to suit all levels and abilities which has enabled us to effectively train staff from all levels across estates and facilities. Booking courses with RRC couldn’t be simpler and we will definitely be considering them for future training requirements.  

Facilitating communication and learning between managers

Manufacturing company Zotefoams were looking to address gaps in understanding of the organisation’s Working at Height policies and procedures. The training would be attended by senior and technical managers, as well as members of the SHE department. It was clear that tailoring the course towards the company's specific needs was important, as was active engagement and discussion between the attendees. As such, it was decided that in-person training was the best option to ensure the level of discussion desired.

During the training session, RRC’s expert tutor made sure to adapt the course material in a way that best matched the needs of the business, while still ensuring the syllabus was fully covered. This included leaving space for discussions about the current policies and procedures, to ensure all teams and managers were on the same page.

The ability to adapt the course in such a specific way was recognised by some of the delegates, noting that RRC’s approach was “refreshing”, and didn’t rely too heavily on powerpoints to deliver information.

The SHE Department found the session highly effective, commenting, “We would not have managed these senior managers on [our] own & communicate the key message. We ourselves learned a lot from this session”. The company is now looking to carry out similar sessions every 6 months on various topics, and are looking at RRC’s Live Online options to allow more people to attend.

Providing Training to Improve H&S Management at All Business Levels

In November 2021, RRC arranged and delivered a series of Classroom courses for a large container port company in the Bahamas. The port operations, which have been running since 1997, offer 24/7 state-of-the-art cargo handling services, so a continued focus on health and safety training and management is a central part of the company’s core values. It was as part of this continued commitment to ensuring the health and safety of their port and employees that led them to seek out additional training.

Their approach was to provide top-down training for their senior management team (SMT), as well as bottom-up training for their supervisors and line managers on the ground. This two-pronged approach ensured that those with H&S responsibilities at all levels of the organisation were given the tools and knowledge to understand their roles and responsibilities for safety, as well as empowering them to make safety related decisions. And for their ground operations employees, they aimed to enable line managers and supervisors to better carry out incident investigation and reporting, improving safety standards at the operational level.

To achieve these objectives, the CEO wanted a training provider that would be able to provide in-person training which could be tailored to their specific needs, as well as to provide a forum for discussing issues and finding solutions. RRC was the ideal provider for this, with existing experience both in arranging in-person training for companies around the world, and in adapting course materials to best suit the needs of individual companies.

After further discussion on their specific needs, a combination of NEBOSH HSE Certificate in Health & Safety Leadership Excellence for SMT, and NEBOSH HSE Introduction to Incident Investigation for managers and supervisors was agreed. To highlight the importance of H&S to the company’s objectives, the training would also be attended by the CEO and all department heads, as well as having each session introduced by a senior manager.

Beyond providing their employees with the opportunity to complete the well-respected NEBOSH courses, the Leadership course provided an unexpected benefit. The classroom exercise included a SWOT analysis of the company itself, where they were able to undertake an honest audit with an independent person facilitating the process. The inclusion of the SMT in the sessions meant almost all of them were able to get involved. Reflecting on the training, one SMT member concluded that this audit was much better than getting an independent audit such as ISO 45001.

Further feedback from those who attended concluded that the training had indeed met the company’s objectives. One employee commented that the course should “pave the way for a growing H&S culture”.

Safety Training with RRC International is Worth its Weight in Gold

Randgold Resources Limited is one of the largest and most profitable gold mining businesses in the world. Randgold operates 5 gold mines in 3 African countries – Loulo, Gounkoto and Morila in Mali; Tongon in Côte d’Ivoire and Kibali in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In March 2016, Dr. Haladou Mahaman Manirou, Group Health and Safety Manager, contacted RRC to explore how RRC could help train their senior managers throughout their West African operation.

Dr. Haladou explained the drivers for the approach and the identified training need:

“In 2015, Randgold experienced its first rise in LTIFR [Lost Time Injurt Frequency Rate] in five years. Eager to halt and reverse the trend, we implemented a number of measures to improve our safety performance in 2016.

Safety starts at the top, therefore we decided to send 146 management staff including all heads of department and their deputies on the IOSH Managing Safely® training course, to ensure they had the knowledge and skills necessary to assess and manage the various health and safety challenges in their departments.”

RRC’s Steve Burke travelled to West and Central Africa many times over the following year delivering the IOSH Managing Safely® course to Randgold’s managers at their various mines.

IOSH training was just the start and it was clear that Randgold were in need of a new Incident Root Cause Analysis (IRCA) system. Their IRCA system was a generic package and although functional, did not give them the level of detail they needed; they wanted something geared around the types of incidents and accidents that could (and do) occur in and around a mining environment. RRC set to work developing a bespoke IRCA system for Randgold tailored to their operations, along with a two day training course specifically on how to use the system.

The success of the training provided by RRC thus far has provided the opportunity to extend further in developing a continuous development programme for the safety teams.     

Beginning in October 2017, RRC delivered the NEBOSH International General Certificate (IGC) course in Côte d'Ivoire, Mali and the Democratic Republic of Congo for health and safety personnel from across the group, as well as the NEBOSH Award in Health & Safety at Work to staff in Mali and the NEBOSH Environmental Certificate in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Whilst English is the business language used in Randgold, in West Africa the most predominantly spoken language is French. In 2017 Randgold asked RRC how we could start cascading the health and safety training to supervisors and team leaders who have very little understanding of the English language.

RRC’s Tunisian office were called in to help; their trainers were experienced in delivering NEBOSH and short courses in French. Looking at Rangold's specific training need, RRC were able to quickly develop a bespoke ‘Safety at Work for Supervisors’ course in French, with tutors with the necessary language skills from RRC’s UK and Tunisian Offices.

Dr. Haladou comments below on the reasons for choosing RRC as their training provider, and also the objectives behind training for managers and supervisors in both English and French languages:

“Armed with this knowledge provided by the IOSH Managing Safely training we believe our managers are better equipped to embed a health and safety culture within their own teams and the wider organisation.

We believe the 58% increase in near miss reports in 2016 is an indication of improved awareness of safety risks.  We now plan to extend the training by running a similar course for team supervisors in 2017.

Managers are in the heart of our operations and we believe that leadership is the fundamental driver of health, safety and production performances.”

Providing ongoing Consultancy Services (2014 to present)

International Paint Limited are a top-tier COMAH site chemical manufacturer (and user) based in the North East of England. They are the leading brand of AkzoNobel's Marine & Protective Coatings business unit. Their North England is their largest site, with close to 1,000 employees.

They required a thorough review and update of their EHS legal register and related site processes and procedures, as well as auditing of legislation as part of their ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 certified management system.  The existing legal register was very extensive but did not clearly distinguish the relevance and criticality of the different entries.

RRC reviewed the current EHS legal register, updated and then prioritised entries in a high-to-low format according to the potential level of risk.  This was followed by carring out audits of relevant legislation, making suggestions where necessary and updating their EHS Legal Register to an agreed timetable.

Beyond the initial consultation, RRC has continued to provide consultancy support to International Paint, carrying out annual updates across multiple sites.