Innovative performance indicators for effective Quality, Safety, and Environment management in oil drilling operations

Abstract Effective management of Quality, Safety, and Environment (QSE) performance is critical in high-risk oil drilling operations. Despite extensive research on generic Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) frameworks, there remains limited guidance on context-specific, operationally validated methodologies that integrate leading and lagging indicators within unified QSE systems for drilling operations. Our research proposes and validates a systematically developed six-steps methodology encompassing Plan–Do–Check–Act (PDCA) principles with transparent KPIs selection, evidence-based target-setting, and comprehensive validation procedures. Our contribution advances knowledge base by operationalizing the integration of leading and lagging indicators with documented selection and justification protocols. The methodology is applied to QSE performance assessment across 53 oil drilling rigs operated by SONATRACH’s drilling division, Algeria for the year 2023. Nine KPIs were selected and assessed comprising of quality-based indices, i.e., Drilling Productivity Rate (DPR), Customer Complaint Rate (CCR); safety-based indices, i.e., Frequency Rate (FR), Severity Rate (SR), Inspection Rate (IR), and environmental indices, i.e., Environmental Incident Rate (EIR), Water Consumption Rate (WCR), Drilling Mud Recovery Rate (DMRR), Diesel Recovery Rate (DRR) indicators respectively. Results indicate the achievement of overall satisfactory control of DPR range 0.92–2.39 m/day/rig, with Northern Drilling Pole (NDP) attaining 77.8% compliance with defined targets. Further, it was found that significant safety challenges persist, particularly at Central Drilling Pole (CDP), with alarming Frequency Rate (FR) 3.749 per million hours and Severity Rate (SR) 0.915 lost days per 1000 h, both exceeding industry benchmarks and associated with a low IR 3.59; mixed environmental performance with notable strengths low water consumption at CDP: 0.07 m 3 /m and critical weaknesses (excessive water consumption at Southern Drilling Pole (SDP): 0.53 m 3 /m; low mud recovery at SDP: 8.21 m 3 /1000 m). Statistical correlation analysis confirms a significant inverse relationship between IR (leading indicator) and FR (lagging indicator, r = − 0.647, p = 0.031), supporting the predictive validity of leading indicators.