Behind the wheel with SLB: Embracing technology for enhanced road safety
October 4, 2023
By
Todd Humber
Photo: SLB
Best Use of Safety Technology
Gold: SLB
Silver: Ontario Power Generation
Silver: Halton Healthcare
The biggest risk for workers at SLB can be found on the road. To help keep staff safe behind the wheel, the company embraced technology — leveraging it in a three-pronged approach to improve its driving culture.
“We recognize that even the best people make mistakes, so we must engineer controls and safeguards to prevent accidents,” said Chawki Koulache HSE manager for Canada at SLB.
This approach earned the company the 2023 gold award for Best Use of Safety Technology at OHS Honours.
The GreenRoad Drive App
The company developed the GreenRoad Drive app to monitor various driving behaviors in real-time, such as braking, cornering, hard acceleration, and speeding.
Primarily designed for employees and contractors driving personal or rental vehicles on company business, the app utilizes GPS data for tracking.
“Previously, we had no visibility on drivers when they were driving their personal vehicles or rental (cars) during working hours,” said Koulache. “In case of an incident, the driver had to contact our HSE team by phone for support.”
The app currently has 370 users, which represents about 90% of its employees who are regularly behind the wheel. And it’s also available for use by workers who don’t drive for company purposes, he said.
Privacy concerns and initial hesitation
The roll-out of the app was met with some initial hesitation, particularly over privacy concerns related to enabling location services on personal devices, said Koulache.
“We worked with our legal team to review the app’s privacy policies, ensuring the protection of all employees’ privacy during our planned implementation,” he said. “We also informed drivers of the information that would be tracked, limited to braking, cornering, hard accelerations, and speeding for business trips.”
It started with a small pilot to a group of employees and managers and then rolled it out to a larger group with an educational awareness campaign, said Koulache. It also recognized and rewarded top users.
“Each month, we highlight the top 30 users in a report that is visible to all employees,” he said. “This has also led to some friendly competition, as most drivers aim to make it into the top 30 list each month.”
Real-world impact
The GreenRoad Drive app and other technologies, such as Mobileye — an advanced driver assistance system — have shown tangible results.
Both technologies have led to a shift toward safer driving habits among its employees and contractors. Mobileye specifically assists drivers in adhering to critical safety areas by issuing loud audible alerts for non-compliance, like unintended lane departure or following distance.
“We decided to integrate this technology into our fleet of vehicles that lack the latest manufacturer-based technology due to their age,” he said.
Journey Management Center
In addition to its apps and on-board systems, SLB also operates a 24-hour Journey Management Center based in Mumbai, responsible for monitoring all company-wide trips.
A robust process requires pre-approval for trips, as well as mandatory rest periods and breaks. The center initiates an emergency response plan if any irregularities are detected during a trip.
“We collect and analyze data from both our company-owned fleet’s telematics and the GreenRoad app using an algorithm,” said Koulache. “If for any reason any driving activity impacts the eight-hour rest period, the trips cannot begin.”
