Lessons learned: A key element to continue improving

We gain knowledge by reflecting on an experience or process that may have relevant consequences for safety or the environment and that is shared for continuous improvement and learning. This knowledge is recorded in management systems and triggers the implementation of actions whose effectiveness is regularly evaluated.

In the area of sustainability, ensuring the safety of people and the environmental protection are the greatest commitments we have at Repsol. That is why we work every day to improve safety in our operations wherever we are, focusing on facilities, processes, and people with a preventive approach to anticipate events.

We have very advanced systems and standards in place, but in addition to maintaining and further improving them, we continue to work on organizational learning.

In order to be successful, it is essential that safety knowledge be shared and reach different areas, businesses, and facilities. Lessons learned are knowledge gained through reflection on an experience or process that could have significant consequences for safety or the environment and which is shared for the sake of continuous improvement and learning.

How our lessons learned process works

It is integrated at the facility, business, and company level and consists of three stages:

1. Capturing

Develop, assess, and approve lessons learned

2. Sharing

Communicate and disseminate

3. Learning

Follow-up and monitoring of implemented actions

1. Capturing

We continually look for areas of improvement in our research and in our day-to-day operations.

2. Sharing

Lessons learned can be shared in different ways. What is important is that the information reaches the target audience it could affect, promoting new ways of getting better communication and feedback from operations.

3. Learning

At Repsol, we view learning as improvement. A lesson learned implies a change in how we manage safety and requires actions that ensure that this learning continues over time and is reflected in the improvement of our safety culture. The role of leaders is fundamental in this process.

Once our lessons have reached their targets, the managers of the business, department, or facility in question must identify preventative action plans. For learning to take place, it is vital to ensure that the actions defined can be implemented as quickly as possible and that both their effectiveness and the learning process itself are assessed regularly.

We promote the use of the free web application Toolbox, so that through learning from incidents and hazards, risk situations and additional barriers can be identified preventively or it is decided to change the plan of the activities and tasks soon to be executed.