Chevron has applied digital oilfield principles to enhance workforce safety in emergency situations. An older emergency management process was transformed into a centrally coordinated workflow to guide decisive action and timely evacuation during tropical cyclones. The Chevron operated Gorgon Project will develop the Gorgon and Jansz-Io gas fields, located within the Greater Gorgon area, about 130 kilometres off the north-west coast of Western Australia. The Project is being constructed on Barrow Island, a Class A Nature Reserve located approximately 60 km off the north west coast of Australia. The environment on Barrow Island is unique. It is home to flora and fauna, some of which are not found anywhere else in the world. Chevron has operated Australia's largest onshore oilfield on the island for more than 40 years, demonstrating that industry and the environment can successfully coexist. The Gorgon Project is driving significant activity on and around Barrow Island. The construction phase workforce has expanded to undertake offshore drilling and marine operations, plant site preparation, accommodation facilities and aviation support as well as continuing oilfield operations. The northern coast of Australia, including Barrow Island, is prone to severe tropical storms each season, from November through April. The safety threat is real and unpredictable. Growth in Chevron's workforce drove a requirement for a well-coordinated storm evacuation process, with unified accountability across the island and offshore vessels. This need was met by developing an i-field decision environment that unites all affected groups, tracks all personnel, coordinates critical data like storm projections and aircraft availability and conserves the safety margin through data-guided decisions, as a cyclone develops and moves. This transformed evacuation process informs the decisive action that is needed, balancing the paramount need for safety with environmental responsibility and operational goals. This paper describes the results of improved efficiency in demanning safely during storm threats and remanning quickly once the storm threat passes.
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