Why Paper-Based Safety Breaks Down as Crews and Jobs Grow

Paper-based safety processes work fine at first. One crew. One site. A small stack of forms. But as crews and jobs grow, paper-based safety breakdowns start to appear. Forms go missing. Records become hard to track. Inspections take longer than they should.

Sebastian Licona, Safety Coordinator at Design Solutions and Integration, saw this firsthand. He worked in the field before and after the company moved away from paper. His experience shows why paper-based safety breakdowns are common in oil and gas operations and what changes once safety systems go digital.

For safety managers and field supervisors, this shift is not about trends. It is about control, visibility, and reducing risk as operations scale.

Where Paper Safety Starts to Fall Apart

Most safety managers do not choose paper on purpose. It is familiar. Crews know it. It feels simple at first. But as work increases, paper-based safety breakdowns create daily stress.

Sebastian describes the early challenges clearly. Paperwork was everywhere. JSAs were hard to track. Incident reports were easy to lose. When someone needed a record, finding it took time or luck.

“If we ever have to go back and check something, it’s hard to find a piece of paper,” Sebastian explained.

These problems grow with every new crew and job site. Supervisors lose visibility. Managers struggle to stay aligned. During inspections, missing paperwork creates pressure no one needs. Over time, paper-based safety breakdowns stop being small issues and start becoming real risks.

A Practical Path Forward with Paper-Based Safety Breakdowns

To address paper-based safety breakdowns, DSI moved to a digital safety system. The goal was simple. Make safety easier to manage and easier to follow.

Digital systems gave crews one place to complete JSAs, inspections, and incident reports. Supervisors could see activity across jobs. Managers no longer had to guess where documents were stored.

Sebastian said the difference was immediate. “This new system is a dream. You know where to go and how to do it.”

Training also became easier. Monthly online safety training replaced long in-person sessions. Crews stayed productive. Safety stayed consistent. Records stayed current.

Most important, documentation became reliable. When inspections happened, records were available in minutes, not hours. Paper-based safety breakdowns stopped slowing the team down.

The Transformation and Results

Once paper-based safety breakdowns were removed, the benefits stacked up quickly. Safety documentation improved. Communication between crews and managers became clearer. Inspections became less stressful.

Digital records helped protect both employees and the company. Accurate documentation made it easier to review incidents and respond with facts instead of assumptions. Safety data became a tool instead of a burden.

Crew adoption also improved over time. At first, some workers resisted the change. But once they saw how easy it was, habits shifted. Safety became part of the workflow, not extra work.

Paper-based safety breakdowns often hide until something goes wrong. Digital systems make safety visible every day. That visibility builds consistency, accountability, and a stronger safety culture across all crews.

Conclusion

Paper-based safety breakdowns are not caused by bad intentions. They happen when systems fail to grow with operations. As crews and jobs expand, paper systems struggle to keep up.

Sebastian Licona’s experience shows what happens when safety moves to a digital system. Documentation improves. Inspections become easier. Training fits the schedule. Stress drops for supervisors and managers.

For oil and gas teams evaluating their safety processes, the lesson is clear. When paper-based safety breakdowns start showing up, it may be time for a system that scales with the work.

About the Guest

Sebastian Licona is the Safety Coordinator at Design Solutions and Integration. He works closely with field crews and supervisors to improve safety practices, training, and documentation across multiple job sites.

About the Company

Design Solutions & Integration (DSI) is a faith based, 100 percent employee-owned company with more than 25 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. With 125 employees and operations across the Bakken and Permian Basin, DSI delivers electrical, automation, fabrication, engineering, and turnkey field services. The company focuses on integrity, long term partnerships, and high-quality solutions built through a vertically integrated model. Learn more at www.relyondsi.com.