Oil rig safety compliance labels for Helmerich & Payne
Background
Helmerich & Payne's core business is the drilling of oil and natural gas wells for exploration and production companies. H&P have a long-standing commitment to safety and risk reduction and their customers have ranked H&P 1st in the industry 10 years in a row because they offer the best drilling design, fabrication and operational performance packages.
Challenge
H&P contacted CILS because they wanted to improve the identification process of hoses and cables used on their offshore oil rigs to meet strict health and safety compliance, as well as save time over their current labelling method to improve operational efficiency.
It was essential for H&P that hoses and cables were clearly marked with information including part numbers, assembly date, hose pressures etc., for fast identification, traceability and maintenance. However, the identification process they were using involved printing labels, applying them to the hose or cable then heat shrinking an additional protective layer over the label to make it durable against the harsh industrial marine environment. Unfortunately, these labels became illegible and in some cases peeled off surfaces all together requiring more time spent re-labelling to maintain the obligatory safety requirements.
What we did
To help solve the problem a CILS technical adviser worked with H&P to explore their goals and identify the challenges. An assessment was made of their current identification method. It was determined that due to the flexible nature of the hoses and cables the adhesive used was not strong enough to keep the labels fixed firmly in place, a problem made worse when labels encountered weathering and salt-water exposure, abrasion and fluctuating temperatures. It was understood that the additional step of adding a heat shrinkable protective layer to labels was a work-around solution to attempt to keep labels in place and add extra durability. Unfortunately, this did not provide the required levels of durability and after time labels would start to peel off.
CILS undertook a route cause analysis to identify a computer imprintable labelling solution from scratch that would work.
Recommendation
After careful analysis, the CILS 91000TK laser printable label was configured to solve their challenge.
The label was designed to be printed using a laser printer and featured a clear, wrap-around protective tail to seal and safeguard printed data giving the desired protection against weathering , extreme temperatures, and abrasion. Importantly, the label featured a high performance solvent acrylic adhesive, designed to give a permanent fail-safe bond to cables and hoses in the harsh conditions.
Evaluate
To ensure the solution was robust, label samples were sent for a two-month field test on the oil rig. The test proved to be successful with the labels surviving the harsh environment while the label data remained crisp, clear and legible. All label samples remained firmly fixed in place with no sign of peeling or degrading.
Approve
Once the labelling solution was validated, H&P approved CILS to quote, manufacture and supply the cable and hose identification labels rolling the solution out to their global fleet.
Outcome
The unique label solution from CILS has provided H&P with a more efficient labelling process for their offshore hoses and cables, saving valuable time, cost, and enabled them to meet their operational health and safety obligations. The added benefit of CILS ‘Self-laminating’ labels was that it also eliminated the additional time and costs associated to heat shrinking their low spec labels.
CILS continue to work with H&P to ensure they get the very best performance from their labels and continue to assist them with new projects providing technical label advice and support.