Our Safety Culture

In 1964, Oceaneering was established as a diving services provider. Although small in size, the nature of the work meant that our organization faced a relatively high level of risk.

Knowing this, we set out to improve, not only our own health, safety and environmental (HSE) practices, but also those of the diving industry which we served. As our portfolio of services has grown, we have continued to prioritize and advance our approach to HSE.

Measuring Safety Performance

We have built a reputation for outstanding safety performance, and release quarterly measurements of our safety performance.
TRIR chart

C-Suite Safety Commitment

Our commitment to safety begins at the highest level of our organization. In 2001, we formed a Corporate HSE Steering Committee, which meets bi-weekly and includes our CEO, COO, senior vice presidents and vice presidents. This is the foundation of our HSE processes and associated culture.

Our vision of operational safety continues to evolve today. We focus not only on high-potential incidents, but also the routine activities that pose risk in our daily operations. The Corporate HSE Steering Committee solicits safety-related feedback, no matter the level of severity.

Life Saving Rules

In 2015, we codified a set of common HSE practices, and how to reduce risk, in what we call our Life Saving Rules. These rules were developed based on a two-year review of our high-hazard tasks and associated incidents. We reviewed incidents that resulted in a range of consequences, from days away from work (DAFW) to no consequence. We not only took a deep dive into incidents that had the potential for fatality or DAFW, but we also looked closely at incidents that required medical attention or first aid, near-hit cases and unsafe behavior.
  • Energy Isolation Dk Blue

    Energy Isolation

  • Heights Dk Blue

    Working at Height

  • Suspended Loads

    Suspended Loads

  • Pressure Testing

    Pressure Testing

  • Confined Space Dk Blue

    Confined Space

  • Radiation Dk Blue

    Radiation

Our greatest emphasis was placed on those incidents that did not result in a significant consequence, but which had the potential to result in a serious consequence. These six rules apply to every Oceaneering employee, as well as third parties operating in shared settings.

Since their introduction, the Life Saving Rules have enabled our organization to more precisely identify the activities and tasks posing the greatest risk of fatality. We have also determined associated processes to help protect our employees. We dig deeper, looking at not only the immediate causes of fatality or injury, but also the underlying behaviors contributing to adherence to the Life Saving Rules.

Contact Us | Our Safety Culture

Company page Since our founding in the early 1960s, Oceaneering has expanded and grown globally to service several industries such as the offshore energy industry, defense, entertainment, material handling, aerospace, science, and renewable energy industries. In 1964, Mike Hughes and Johnny Johnson formed a Gulf of Mexico diving company called World Wide Divers. The company grew in response to increasing demand for their services and in 1969 merged with two other diving companies to form Oceaneering International, Inc. To solve the toughest challenges, we do things differently, creatively, and smarter. As your trusted partner, our unmatched experience and truly innovative portfolio of technologies and solutions give us the flexibility to adapt and evolve, regardless of market conditions. Our mission is to solve the unsolvable. We thrive by creating industry-changing technically creative solutions for the most complex operational challenges under water, on land, and in space. Our five core values establish a common culture and demonstrate what is most important for us as a company. Since the beginning, the company has transformed from a small regional diving company into a global provider of engineered products and services. Today, we develop products and services for use throughout the lifecycle of an offshore oilfield, from drilling to decommissioning. We operate the world's premier fleet of work class ROVs. Additionally, we are a leader in offshore oilfield maintenance services, umbilicals, subsea hardware, and tooling. We also serve the aerospace, defense, and theme park industries. Underpinning everything we do, safety is not only the foundation of our core values, but it is vital to our unmatched performance record and company culture. The industries we serve are as diverse as they are complex. Whether we are engineering deepwater umbilicals or developing robotics for aerospace applications, the safety and health of our employees, vendors, and customers is an integral part of our day-to-day business. If we are working, then our responsibility is to be working safely. Since our inception in 1964, we have placed a high value on employee safety—from diving services and subsea inspection to vessel-based installation operations. We have and will continue to evolve not only our health, safety, and environmental (HSE) processes, but those of the industries in which we work. Although we have been fatality-free since 1999, our HSE journey goes beyond statistics. As our portfolio of services has grown, we have continued to prioritize and advance our approach to HSE.