The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will convene an ad-hoc committee to:
• Define the current profile of systemic risks of offshore oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico that could lead to disasters. By systemic risks, we mean defining risks associated with the components of the system, the system itself, and how humans interact with the system, in which a failure of any part could lead to failure of the system as a whole. The panel may consider the risks of a system failure as well as the impact of those risks to humans and natural resources.
• Assess how various technological, regulatory, environmental, organizational, and process changes have contributed to increasing or decreasing the systemic risks of the offshore oil and gas operations since the release of the report Macondo Well Deepwater Horizon Blowout. Lessons for Improving Offshore Drilling Safety (2012) and other relevant reports.
• Consider the incentive structure necessary for technological, environmental, organizational, and process changes that decrease the systemic risks of the offshore oil and gas operations.
• If appropriate, assess how activities (including workshops and grants) funded by the Gulf Research Program and other funders have contributed to a better understanding and reduction of the systemic risks in offshore oil and gas operations.
• Identify critical gaps in understanding, and prioritizing future needs for increased understanding, communication, and management of systemic risks related to the offshore oil and gas industry.
The study will be carried out by a committee of approximately 8-10 volunteer experts in the fields of: geology, petroleum engineering, systems engineering, human factors, safety culture, industrial and organizational psychology, environmental and occupational health, environmental protection, risk management and assessment, and regulatory design
We welcome nominations of individuals from state agencies, non-governmental organizations, academia, industry, and other sectors. Per the legal agreements that established the Gulf Research Program, no current officer or current employee of the U.S. Government can serve on this or other appointed committees of the Gulf Research Program.
We invite you to submit nominations for committee members and/or reviewers for this study by March 13, 2020.
Contact information:
Name: Mark Hutchins
Email: mhutchins@nas.edu
Phone: 202-334-3794