Wood Group Colombia's safety programme commended by Ecopetrol
In Colombia, we have been commended by our client, Ecopetrol, for completing the 14-month engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning of a propylene storage and transfer facility in the Cartagena refinery with no harm to people or the environment.
At its peak, 170 people were involved in the project which encompassed three separate scopes:
- Creation of a propylene loading facility at a local dock to receive propylene transported by barge from the Barrancabermeja refinery.
- Pipeline and pumping facilities to transport propylene to the Cartagena refinery and onto an adjacent plant.
- Refurbishment & upgrade of propylene storage and metering facilities in the Cartagena refinery.
The refurbishment, and relocation of nine, three meter diameter storage vessels (each over 40m long and weighing 70 tons) were projects identified as potentially hazardous because they involved hot work, heavy lifts and confined space work. Transportation of these vessels required extensive planning, the crossing of a public highway and complex movements within an operating refinery where access was limited.
Gary Corbett, President Wood Group Colombia, said, "We aligned our procedures with Ecopetrol and sub-contractors creating an integrated HSE team to manage risks with cross-audits, inspections and security visits carried out regularly across the organization. Construction and project managers highlighted the need for individuals to accept responsibility for safety and implemented training and safety campaigns.
"Ecopetrol is highly satisfied with the way both companies collaborated to successfully resolve the challenges on this project. By meeting the tight deadline for delivering the loading facility to the dock, Wood Group proved it has achieved total synergy with us and, more importantly, with the Barranca´s project being executed by another contractor" said Jose Joaquin Pinto Sandoval, Colombia's Refineries Project Director.
