Oil and Gas Production Department Operations During COVID-19

Adapting an Oil and Gas Production Enterprise to Pandemic Conditions

The global COVID-19 pandemic became a serious challenge for industrial enterprises, especially those relying on fly-in/fly-out (FIFO) shift work in remote regions. In a legal vacuum and lacking ready-made solutions, companies had to rapidly restructure their safety management processes. During the webinar, Nikolay Ievlev, an expert from Rusvietpetro, shares practical experience in organizing the work of an Oil and Gas Production Department (OGPD) during the pandemic.

Key Problems and Barriers at the Start

The speaker analyzes in detail the difficulties faced by the emergency response headquarters in the first months of the pandemic. The main problems included:

• Lack of infrastructure: the inability to organize observation facilities in the cities of presence (Naryan-Mar, Komi Republic) due to inadequate conditions.
• Shortage of medical resources: a lack of testing laboratories, and the absence of infectious disease specialists and epidemiologists on the staff of medical contractors.
• Lack of information and equipment: the absence of clear data about the disease in the early stages, and a shortage of PPE and medical equipment on the market.

Organizational and Preventive Measures

To minimize the risks of spreading the infection, the company implemented a comprehensive approach. The presentation details the transition to a high-alert mode, including daily headquarters meetings and command-staff exercises based on various scenarios — from isolated cases to a complete shutdown of the oilfield.

The speaker pays special attention to internal corporate regulations: the development of HSE instructions for pandemic conditions and shift change regulations, which were integrated into contracts with contractors, establishing penalties for violating protocols (mask-wearing, distancing, testing).

Personnel Flow Management and Barrier System

An interesting practical solution was dividing contractors into categories (forced contact, working on the same site, autonomy) using color coding (vests, helmet stickers, bracelets). This allowed for visual identification of a worker's status and their time spent on shift, ensuring necessary distancing.

The speaker demonstrates a three-level barrier system during shift changes:

• Barrier 1: Testing at the place of residence before departure.
• Barrier 2: Testing at the assembly point (Usinsk) before being sent to the oilfield.
• Barrier 3: Testing on the 10th day of stay in the observation facility at the field.

The "Lego" Principle in Infection Localization

If an infection is detected, the "Lego" principle is applied — removing the infected unit (the worker and their roommates) from the production chain. The sick person is placed in an isolation ward, where treatment and re-testing are organized, and in case of deterioration, evacuation. This approach successfully localized detected cases without spreading the infection.

What you will learn from this webinar:

• How to organize an effective observation and testing system for shift personnel amid a shortage of medical infrastructure?
• What visual identification methods help control contacts between workers of different categories?
• How does the "Lego" principle work to localize infection outbreaks at a remote production site?
• Which disinfectants and technologies (e.g., "cold fog") are most effective in oilfield conditions?
• How to adapt the enterprise's regulatory framework and build interaction with contractors during epidemiological restrictions?