|
PETROLEUM DIRECTORY: The big birds fly safely year after year Air Logistics of Alaska’s stellar safety record shines Susan Braund Petroleum Directory Contributing Writer
Man has been fascinated with vertical flight since the first toy helicopter — built from two wooden slats mounted on top of a stick — appeared in 12th century China. This germ of an idea has evolved over time into the well-designed practical vehicles that serve as tireless work horses for the oil and gas industry around the world.
Air Logistics of Alaska keeps these big birds busy around the state, striving to provide customers with the safest, most reliable and efficient helicopter transportation, no matter the location. The company’s core contracts include support to pipeline operations, offshore and onshore exploration and drilling programs, remote construction projects, seismic programs, environmental studies, survey and permitting activities, and oil spill contingency and emergency response.
Established in 1977, Air Logistics of Alaska is a wholly owned subsidiary of Offshore Logistics Inc. of Lafayette, La., the world‘s largest provider of helicopter transportation services to the oil and gas industry — a $560 million a year business. According to the company website, Offshore’s mission is to provide the safest, most cost-effective and reliable service to customers in a diverse community of markets. The Air Logistics family of companies conducts business primarily in the Gulf of Mexico, Alaska, the North Sea, and a number of international markets including Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Australia, Nigeria and China.
The Alaska operation is headquartered in Fairbanks and has support facilities in Deadhorse, Valdez and Anchorage. Force of fleet Through its parent group, Air Logistics has access to a combined fleet of more than 350 helicopters.
“We don’t have to incur the costs of maintaining a large fleet in Alaska during slow periods,” says Director of Marketing Dave Scarbrough. “We have the ability to ferry aircraft up from the Gulf of Mexico to augment our Alaska fleet as needed, so we can quickly ramp up to meet any viable business opportunity that arises.” Building a culture of safety Over the last two-plus decades, Air Logistics has carefully crafted a deeply rooted culture of safety.
“We’ve spent lots of time, money and effort establishing a world-class safety program, and it has brought us great dividends,” says Scarbrough. “Just look at our client base — we serve a large core group of oil and gas industry operators, and the primary reason is our longstanding record of project performance. Plus, our focus on safety has also offered other direct rewards: reduced aviation, general liability, and workers compensation insurance policy costs.”
The company’s attention to safety intensified in the 1970s when Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. challenged Air Logistics to raise the bar in how aviation service was provided in Alaska.
“Alyeska committed to receiving the highest level of aviation service available. To ensure the success of that commitment they established contractual and operational practices that allowed us to mutually achieve and maintain that goal.”
For more than 23 years, Air Logistics has provided a full range of helicopter flight services to Alyeska, including surveillance and patrol, pipeline related operations and maintenance, and oil spill contingency and emergency response.
Five Air Logistics aircraft work the pipeline every day. Over the last 10-year period, the company has flown more than 40,000 flight hours in support of Alyeska’s mission with no accidents or incidents and no environmental damage, spills or mishaps.
“I believe that Alyeska Pipeline Service Co., by way of their contractual mandate, has probably done more to promote and contribute to the growth and maturity of aviation safety in the oil and gas industry in Alaska than any other entity,” comments Scarbrough. “And following their lead has been part and parcel the secret of our overall success. Because we model all of our company operations at this higher standard, we’ve been able to attract the attention of many other oil industry operators.”
During the last calendar year Air Logistics provided North Slope helicopter support to Anadarko Petroleum, BP Exploration (Alaska), ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, EnCana, PetroCanada, and Total E&P.
The company’s safety culture has taken on a life of its own for both new and old employees. “New employees rapidly get spun up into the process through both management and peers and there’s a clear appreciation from our long-term employees that we’re doing it right.”
And, a string of aviation and industrial safety awards also says that they’re doing something very right. The company’s aggressive and proactive aviation safety program has resulted in a minimal aviation accident rate. During the past 10 years Air Logistics of Alaska has experienced only one limited accident, with no injuries, while accumulating more than 70,000 flying hours.
For the years 1998, 2000, 2001 and 2002 Air Logistics of Alaska received the Governor’s Safety Award of Excellence and also received the Governors Special Recognition Award for the years 1998 and 1999.
In March 2001 OSHA/State of Alaska Department of Labor awarded the company VPP Program status at the highest attainable level — the Star Level — making it the first aviation company in the United States to achieve this standing and the third organization of any type in Alaska.
In April of this year, the American Red Cross of Alaska recognized the company’s dedication to workplace safety at the 4th Annual Real Heroes Breakfast. Taking care of the workforce Air Logistics of Alaska has made it a focused mission to create a safe workplace for its employees and contractors. This commitment to workforce health and welfare is also a form of self insurance.
“Every Air Log employee has the right to expect that our work place will be as free from recognized hazards to life and good health as we can make it,” explains Scarbrough. “It is, after all, the individual efforts of each employee that make our system work — it’s simply good business to provide a workplace where people do not get hurt.” Why these big birds remain “Our firm is a highly responsive, conservatively managed, client service-oriented business with a keen corporate safety culture as a cornerstone,” stresses Scarbrough. “This culture encourages us to add real and measurable value to our customer's daily operations. More and more, most notably in the oil and gas industries, we are pleased to see health, safety, and environmental performance becoming a significant component of that value measurement.”Hello-Goodbye As the majors pull back and Independents enter the state, Air Logistics is ready and waiting to provide the same solid and reliable service they have provided for years.
“As the oil and gas industry in Alaska undergoes change, we are fortunate to have the opportunity to provide support to many of the new players — that says a lot about who we are and what the industry thinks of our business,” says Scarbrough. “We’re excited to see the Independents coming to Alaska; their success is important to the state and to all of us that work and live here. We have a role to play in their success and look forward to being part of it!”
Editor’s note: Susan Braund owns Firestar Media Services in Anchorage, Alaska.
| 