RMET6053 Research Methods

Introduction 

The industry of the oil and gas is known to be universal in the realistic way like it has expanded from Europe’s temperate forests to secluded places of the Arctic, from Alaska to Australia and to the tropical region’s rainforests. The oil and gas industry is the primary source of the power energy as this is the most effective source of the consumable energy which runs the other industries from different fields. Oil and gas industry majorly focuses on managing the safety and health issue as many of its activities is linked with the dangerous safety rocks and health problems (Bjerga and Aven 2015).

The only reason to produce this account is to know the strength of the safety, health and environmental strategies that one of the major organisation named Royal Dutch Shell, an industry of oil and gas in the United Kingdom uses in their facilities of the oil production (AlKazimi 2015).

Problem statement

There are several daily activities that causes serious fears to the workers’ lives in the oil and gas industry because of the severe circumstances in which they need to work and because of the explosives product’s nature. The organisations must know the requirements of the safety of the employees in the environment they work (AlKazimi 2015). Despite of the information that the organisations who are working must implement strict facilities for the safety and health of the employees and these reports has been given by the NORA Oil and Natural Extraction Council and this report depicts that the ratio of the casual deaths has been more than eight times in the industry of the oil and gas than that of the rates of the other industries. Consequently this has become the most important element to measure the strength of the environmental and health safety that will be adopted by these companies who are in the field of the oil and natural gas industry.

Aims and objectives of the study

Aims of the study

The agenda of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the policies of the environmental and health safety that has been adapted by the Royal Dutch Shell one of the important company in the field of oil and gas. This report will let us know the policies and strategies that must be legislated by the company so that they can achieve the major level of the protection and welfare of the workplace.

Objective of the study

There are certain primary reasons that is needed for this work of researchhas been given below:

• The evaluation of the policies of the safety and health that will be taken by the Royal Dutch Shell it will be taken into consideration on the operation over the time of 2006-2015.
• The evaluation of the environmental policies that will be taken by the Royal Dutch Shell and it will be taken into consideration on the operation over the time of 2006-2015.
• In order to improvise the plans of the safety and health,what will be identification of the strategies of the Royal Dutch Shell?

Research Question 

There are some questions that will be answered regarding the above research work.

• How effective will the policies of the health and safety of the Royal Dutch Shell while avoiding the bruises of the employees in the workplace?
• How will Royal Dutch Shell manage the concerns regarding environmental issues?
• What will be the policies made by the experts of the Royal Dutch Shell for improvising the plans of the health and environment?

Background of the study

Certain researchers have noticed that there are several accidents that is leading to the injuries to the people in the oil and gas industry globally. In Paraguana refinery complex which is known as one of the huge oil refinery in the whole world, there held the fire that led to the death of 151 people because of the incorrect security and health reasons. These accidents can be avoided the security policies will be implemented (Chettouh, Hamzi and Benaroua 2016).

Rational of the study

There are many researchers who have been willing to do labour in this field after the numerous accidents that took place in the work place of the oil and gas industry. Other research work will be done to understand the reasons that was heading to such serious accidents (Okubo 2014). It has been said that other research work will be done to implement the policies and the principles that will be used to escape such kind of fatal accidents. It will mainly give stress on applying the policies regarding health and safety that must be utilised by the industry of Oil and Gas globally.

Literature Review

Theoretical Framework

The Assets of the Royal Dutch Shell are safe as per the manager of the Royal Dutch Shell. The most essential things according to shell is to ensure the integrity and the safety of the assets (Falck, Flage and Aven 2015).

It has been noticed nowadays that healthy environment in the workplace helps in the success of the company in whatever field they work in (Dhillon 2016). The policies of the good safety and effective health will support the employees to be happy, creative and energetic and also lessons out the number of injuries. They have been several research works that have shown the effective measures of safety and health that will help in reducing the stress of the work and injuries in the workplace (Oppong 2014).

There are three major aspects like care communication and deliberation that will help to get a safe and healthy workplace (Chambers 2015). The organisation mast organise a workshop to help the workers to know safety usage the harmful and hazardous Chemicals and how to control the fumes and the noise must be also taken care of. The practice of the unhealthy personal health will also be band in the place of work (Russo 2015).

The safe and reliable energy will be provided by the shell to the United Kingdom that is almost the 13 percent of the total gas and oil supply of the United Kingdom. The Royal Dutch Shell has a planned position while providing the energy supply (Chambers 2015). The commitment of Royal Dutch Shell will be of protecting the safety of the environment, not to harm people, respecting the neighbours, playing the chief role while promoting the best practice and also to contribute to the society and you manage the policies of HSE and to promote a good culture (Oppong 2014). The Royal Dutch Shell will be having a management system of the environment with some policies as following:

• The protection of the environment
• Setting some fruitful targets for the improvements
• Getting along with the stakeholders
• Reporting performance to public
• Using those materials that will be energy efficient

Occupational Injuries on Oil Rigs

In the year between 2000 to 2013, it was seen that there had been exceptional growth in the industry of the oil and gas because the number of accidents was increasing every year (Mehra and Sarand 2012). There are some questions that has arrived about what kind of strictness will be used to apply the measures and policies of the safety and health of the employees that will be taken by the organisation named Royal Dutch Shell (Parkes 2013). The industries of oil and gas must know the importance to apply some useful measures and policies that reduces the level of the major accidents. The hazardous gases that comes out from the factories like hydrocarbons, hydrogen sulphide and several other gases will affect the health of the human beings and to the environment (Matthisen and Bergh 2016).

Risk Factors

The operations and the activities of the Royal Dutch Shell will bring several risks as the conditions might change in the field of economic, legal, competition business social industry and in the financial field also (Nielsen, Tyedt and Metthiesen 2013). However, if they are not managed in a proper manner then it may result in the bad performance of the industry and financial loss. the fluctuation of the price of these Chemicals oil and natural gas affected demand and supply and certain factors that influence demand and supply are the economic and climatic conditions and natural disasters that might take place in the large countries that produces oil (Kelland 2014).

Psychological Wellbeing of Workers on Oil Rigs

The industries of oil and gas must get safer and better equipment from the other countries and they must train the employees to handle the dangerous situations that will come in future like the accident and fire in the workplace (Nielson, Tyedt and Matthiesen 2013). There should be maintenance of the law and order and rules and regulations amongst the industries of oil and gas. The wellbeing of the workers psychologically can only be stable only if the environment near them must be favourable to them like there should be less workload, job security should be there and many others (Mehra and Sarang 2012). The timings must be favourable to the Employees. However if the workers are stable psychologically and there will be lesson number of accidents and the performance of the employees will also increase as it has a great link with the increasing amount of accidents and diseases (Matthiesen and Bergh 2016).

Environmental Impacts

The industries of the oil and gas includes refining extraction exploration transportation and drilling that will affect the environment whether it is on land or the aquatic ecosystem. It will also change the migratory patterns of the aquatic animals. Therefore it is the duty of the industries to infuse environmental measures for the reduction of the environmental pollution.

HSSE Management in Royal Dutch Shell

The company shell has promised that they will be managing the security safety health social performance and environment in an effective manner in order to achieve the performance enhancement (Chettouh, Hamzi and Benaroua 2016). Certain HSSE policies will be used by this company to maintain and run the industry in a better manner. These policies will be maintained for the reduction of the harmful emissions in the environment. The industry of Oil and Gas train some external auditors who will look after the rules and regulations of the safety in the organisation (Chauhan 2013). There are certain games that has been written out that will be followed by this company under their policy of security health and safety executive:

• Not to harm the workers
• Protection of the environment
• Maintenance of law and order in the organisation
• Following regulations and rules

Gaps in HSE Management

If there is any incompatibility in the policy of the HSE management then there will be more accidents in the Royal Dutch Shell Company. Proper training is needed and there is no mention about this in the policy. If this policy is followed properly then the rate of the accidents will automatically decrease (Eaton 2013).

Chemical Management

The Offshore Chemicals regulation 2002 manages Little Stars and use of chemicals that comes from extraction and drilling operations. The chemical uses production have increased rapidly in the year 2015 by 34 % but the discharge of chemicals have decreased by 20 % (LJOSÅ, Tyssen and LAU 2013).

Waste Management

The Royal Dutch Shell maintains the wastes that comes out from their Industry all over the United Kingdom and they ensure to follow the laws and regulations. This company has taken some measures so that they will prevent the waste production in the coming years (Eaton 2013).

Greenhouse Gas Management

The installation of the Royal Dutch Shell operate according to the EU emissions trading scheme for CO2, pollution prevention and control legislation, and environmental permitting regulations. These legislations have promised to reduce the emissions of the carbon dioxide in environment (LJOSÅ, Tyssen and LAU 2013).

Research Methodology

Method Outline

There will be the need of the research technique to bring out the analysis and study of the negative and positive impacts of the production of oil on environment. This method of research will contain techniques, tactics and unique philosophy. We will be choosing the correct technique of research analysis look at the gaps among the difference in opinion of the people in the strategies of the security and safety of the industry of Royal Dutch Shell (Wang and Mao 2012).

Research Philosophy

Three types of research philosophies have been primarily scene like interpretivism, realism and positivism. These research philosophies will help to give detailed information on the work of research. In this further study we will be choosing positivism philosophy to take out the facts that are hidden and linked to the topic of research in the scientific manner (Truscott et al. 2010).

Justification of the Chosen Philosophy

Certain reasons has been mentioned for choosing positivism philosophy and they are:

• Identifying the major factors that are related to this research work.
• Suggesting a practical work with the implications that are theoretical.
• To estimate and simplified the data that has been collected.
• It will be helping to focus on the principal areas of the issues that has been required and has been highlighted.

Research Approach

The deductive approach will be selected as the suitable research approach that will help you understand the detailed information. In the above-mentioned research, the deductive approach will be useful to bring out a proper hypothesis and to make a proper strategy that will be helpful to examine the hypothesis observed (Saunders Lewis and Thornhill 2011).

Justification of the Chosen Approach

Certain points have been given for choosing the deductive approach like

• It will help to explore and use the new theories to the related topic.
• It will help in the application of theoretical observation into the practical application.
• It will not only provide latest theories but will also help to verify them with the required explanation.

Study Location

Royal Dutch Shell is known as the Global Group of energies in United Kingdom that uses the innovative technology with numerous modes to build the workable energy for people. The upstream, integrated technology, downstream and project development are four types of operations that is running in this company. It will be seen that there is the emission of clean Natural Gas in the environment that will be done with the help of the developers of Shell so that they can utilise the properties of the hazardous toxins in the air.

Data Collection Technique

As it has been said earlier the issues of the safety and health will be more critical in the field of oil and gas and also in the petroleum industry. This research will be aiming to asses and fulfil the efficiency of the policies of the safety and health and also environmental. In addition, the data collected will be going through the case analysis. This research will be assessing the case background and the data that has been observed by reading the website of the British Petroleum. The sustainability report and the previous research reports are such kind of report that will be used for the collection of data. The term sustainability report will focus on the primary approaches of the British Petroleum as well as their performance concerning the plan of the mitigation to solve out their problems (Salaberry and Comajoan 2013).

Case Background

In the Shell Company, five people have died while they were working in the drilling operation. This organisation has failed their policies and the projects and it has led to the accidents in a huge way. Another accident took place when the gas was leaked out as the equipment broke and it lead to dangerous accidents, and in future it will create a negative impact on the society. Another report will be studied and that report has collected the exact amount of the accidents that occurred in Royal Dutch Shell Company in the last 10 years (Witter et al. 2014).

This company will be taking some initiatives like some measures and policies to secure the organisation. There must be reconstruction and maintenance of the company to avoid risky situations to occur in the future.

Analysis Technique

Qualitative techniques will be used for analysing the data and to know the necessity of the social and environmental policy and their impact on the Royal Dutch Shell Company. Furthermore, certain articles and journals from the online sources will be used to record the data with regards to the yearly accidents and the entire emission of the greenhouse gases in the environment (Wan Ahmad et al. 2016).

Conclusion

This research will be selecting a qualitative technique for analysing the data collected from secondary sources. An appropriate approach of research and style will also be selected to way out the research in the systematic manner. These information will be helpful to fulfil the objectives and the aims that has been discussed in the chapter 1 above.

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