Copyright 2006, Society of Petroleum Engineers

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Safety, and Environment in Oil and Gas Exploration and Production held in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.,
24 April 2006.

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Introduction
Work-related mental illnesses are becoming one of the
major causes of occupational illness and work years lost.
Exposure to stressors can be both work-related and non-
work related. The Oil & Gas Health Committee of
OGP/IPIECA has decided to issue a brouchure on this
subject.

Definitions

The term " Stress" will be used as the overall
description of the subject.
The term " Stressor" is used to label pressures or
demands that are known to have the ability to cause
distress.
The term " Distress" is used to label a set of bodily,
behavioral, and emotional reactions in response to
issues or events that we perceive as challenging or
dangerous.

Origins of distress
Distress resulting from non work-related causes is quite
common and will have an impact in the workplace.
Conversely, distress resulting from work related causes
will have an impact at home.

Stressors are ubiquitous across every facet of our lives
and it is difficult to isolate one group without recognizing
and accounting for the others. Stressors are interactive
and interdependent and this is an important fact that
needs to be recognized.

Within any occupation there may be a multitude of
stressors and each employee will respond in a different
way to these stressors. Examples of some main work
related stressors:
lack of control
time/deadline pressure
poor relationships
excessive travel
lack of consultation/communication
work overload
understaffing
organizational change
threat of redundancy

The effects of stressors
Distress is frequently related to an imbalance between
the pressures being exerted and the resources of the
individual. When pressures and demands rise, the way
individuals think, feel and behave is altered. As a result,
changes in physiological functions occur and if
unresolved can lead to health problems. However,
people tend to perform better when under a moderate
amount of demands or pressure


The signs of distress
Many of the outward signs of distress in individuals
should be noticeable to managers and colleagues
although in some cases the signs will not be obvious.
Look in particular for changes in a person's behaviour,
such as deteriorating relationships with colleagues,
irritability, indecisiveness, absenteeism or reduced
performance.

Prevention
Most of the things that can be done to prevent distress
are a product of good management. Basically, one
should be looking out for pressures that could negatively
impact people and then intervene to ensure people are
not harmed. Educate yourself on what causes distress in
the workplace and actively work to minimize those things
within your control.


SPE 98605
A Framework for Managing Workplace Stress in the Oil and Gas Industry
E. Dahl-Hansen, ExxonMobil; R. Treeby, BP; R. Keulemans, Shell; M. Doig, Chevron; N. Al-Maskery, PDO; and
S. Lerman, ExxonMobil
2 SPE 98605
Systematic assessment and control
Supervisors can assess the level of risk posed by
psychological hazards as part of a general Health Risk
Assessment process and where necessary develop and
implement an action plan.
A member of the business leadership team should
sponsor this work to ensure that it receives appropriate
attention
Using validated questionnaires or checklists to gather
and aggregation of data will facilitate understanding of
potential stressors. It is recommended to allow
employees to draw on their own detailed knowledge of
local and contextual factors e.g. by using focus groups
as part of the risk assessment process.
An important principle after a survey has been done is to
present the data to the unit, ensure acceptance of the
findings by discussing the data with the team and last,
but not least search for measures to improve the
situation.
The most important output of a risk assessment is the
Remedial Action Plan (RAP) that improves control to
reduce exposures to as low as reasonably possible.

Intervention
Once an issue has been identified you need to establish
what the causes are:

Listen to the individual! Talk with the employee
about what if anything in the workplace is
contributing to the distress. Do not try to solve
non-work related issues but be open and
supportive.

If the distress is obviously work-related try to
address the source(s).

Consider consulting HR and/or Occupational
Health who may be able to help you depending
upon the situation.
If appropriate, encourage the employee to seek
further help through their doctor, personal
medical provider or EAP.
If one of your team is suffering from work-related
distress, he or she may represent the tip of an
iceberg. Find out whether others are also
experiencing distress at work.

Finally remember that health related issues are
privacy cases and should remain confidential.
Therefore, we need to ensure that we do not
breach this trust in any of our communications.




Self Help
Brief suggestions for managing personal distress (1):
Develop support structures. Talk with someone
Take control
o Take actiondo something
o Say no to excessive demands
o Prioritize
o Slow down
o Leave on time
Take pressure out of what you tell yourself:
o Catch yourself from jumping to conclusions,
taking things personally, or making mountains out of
molehills.
o Ask yourself, Will it really matter five years
from now?
o Challenge your unreasonable shoulds,
oughts, musts, owes, and deserves.
Avoid exaggerated labels such as stupid, lazy,
dumb, crazy, and ugly.
Learn techniques to remain focused like mentally
shouting, Stop!
Recognise the impact of change and the stages you
will go through when experiencing change
Maintain self esteem and remember you are
probably not alone in your thoughts and feelings


Conclusion
Anyone can suffer from distress. It all depends on
the circumstances we are in at the time. Preventing
it is good for employee health and well-being and
good for business. In addition anyone can develop
a mental illness, but it is important that this is not
confused with distress
Employees may be reluctant to admit they are
feeling distressed by work. This is because
symptoms of distress tend to be seen as a sign of
weakness. You can help by making it easier for your
staff to discuss distress. Reassure them that the
information they give you will be treated in
confidence.
Systematically assessing and controlling potential
stressors at work will ensure a good working
environment and a healthy and productive
workforce.