Empowering staff to speak up
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Studies suggest that up to 90 percent of workplace incidents within industry occur because of something that could have been avoided if someone spoke up. Your people need to be confident enough to see something and then say something – not ignore it.
Perenco wanted their staff to look out for and then raise these issues without fear of repercussion, so they asked us to create a visually engaging, down-to-earth video to explain behavioural and observational safety and empower their employees to speak their minds.
The client
Founded 30 years ago, Perenco is an independent hydrocarbon producer involved in the entire lifecycle of projects, from exploration to decommissioning. The company has an onshore and offshore presence in 15 countries and produces 490,000 boepd (barrels of oil equivalent per day) through its drilling, development and operations.
Planning
The video needed to encourage a collaborative approach between on-site and office-based staff, so everyone felt able to raise both negative and positive scenarios in the workplace. It also needed to dispel the myth that behavioural safety is a numbers game.
Before filming began, we took care of all the necessary arrangements, sharing key discussion points and questions with our interviewees, providing guidance about being on camera and how to answer questions, and taking care of equipment logistics.
Production
To make the film, we partnered with video production and creative agency Stitch. Stitch used a two-camera set-up and shot everything in 4K. The footage was then supplemented where necessary with animation sequences.
We travelled to Hull to film at Perenco’s Dimlington Terminal, where we interviewed Terminal Manager Richard Swain and filmed other employees at work, and then to the company’s headquarters in Norwich to interview QSHE Manager Ann-Marie Fowler. This helped bridge the gap between the two main parts of the business. Staff across both sites were very accommodating – even turning the air conditioning off for two hours so we had great sound quality.
During the shoot, we worked closely with MAH Intervention Lead Rebecca Melody and QSHE Advisor Glenn McGlone, who helped us capture realistic and relatable scenarios involving Perenco staff, and ensured all actions aligned with their procedures.
Result
The 12-minute video covered the four key steps of Perenco’s POST initiative, asking employees to think about how they would like to be talked to and the impact of their body language. It focused on the importance of reinforcing good behaviour too, not only drawing attention to unsafe conditions. And it explained the data, helping people to understand the recurring issues and the steps they could take to mitigate them.
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