Gulf oil and gas workers seven times more likely to be fatally injured 23.02.2013: Collective responsibility required to reduce number of accidents as annual occupational fatality rates in US

Collective responsibility required to reduce number of accidents as annual occupational fatality rates in US reach 27.5 per 100,000 workers


 – 9th Annual HSE Forum in Energy to encourage region’s oil and gas companies to treat HSE as a corporate value



Photo caption: Floating production storage and offloading vessels are being used more extensively as the world seeks to extract hydrocarbons from marginal and more remote deep water locations.

Oil and gas workers in the Gulf countries could be up to seven times more likely to be fatally injured, than workers in other industry sectors, according to a six-year fatal occupational injuries census which was carried out by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.


Given that fact that the industry is governed by international HSE standards, these sad statistics could equally apply to the region’s oil and gas workers.


Commenting on the issue in November 2012 Dr. David Michaels, of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) said that the industry had ‘far too many deaths and something has to be done about it’.


To help support initiatives to reduce workplace fatalities, maintain employee wellbeing and ensure sustainable environmental protection, Fleming Gulf will be organising its 9th Annual HSE Forum in Energy, at the Doha Grand Hyatt in Qatar on 30 September to 2 October 2013.


The three-day conference and exhibition (two-day conference with workshops on day three) which is being held under the patronage of HE Mohammed Bin Saleh Al-Sada, Minister of Energy & Industry & Chairman and Managing Director of Qatar Petroleum, will bring together local, regional and international experts to discuss and debate the critical issues facing the oil and gas industry today and in the future.


“HSE should be an integral part of any organisation’s core value system, it should be in their DNA, driven internally and corporately governed,” said Kathy Seabrook, President of the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), which is endorsing the HSE Forum in Energy.


Other speakers include, Lynda Armstrong, Chair of the British Safety Council; Ali AlRahbi, VP QHSE & Security at Dolphin Energy, Mahesh Patel, HSE Liaison and acting Manager, HSE Business Strategies & HSE Regulations & Enforcement at Qatar Petroleum and Brian Sullivan, Executive Director of IPIECA, the global oil and gas industry association for environmental and social issues.     


The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico on 20 April 2010 put the spotlight firmly back on safety and workforce competence, particularly within organisations operating in the oil and gas sector.


The incident killed 11 people and discharged 4.9 million barrels of oil until it was officially capped 87 days later on 19 September 2010. Besides the tragic loss of life, the environmental impact was devastating. Roughly 491 miles of coastline stretching from Louisiana to Florida was affected. In January 2013, researchers found that oil on the seabed is not degrading and as much as 30% of the original oil spilt, could still be in the sea.


“Through implementation of a risk-based integrated management system approach aligned with the business planning cycle, together as an industry, we can create a safer working environment and share our collective knowledge and experience,” added Seabrook.


The financial penalties as one might expect were of historic proportions. It is estimated that the total amount of penalties facing BP may have reached $90 billion – covering a criminal settlement, payments to fishermen and related marine businesses as well as huge fines under the Clean Water act which could reach an estimated $ 21 billion alone.


Poor HSE policy and procedure would cost any of the Gulf economies dearly. Holding roughly 25% of the world’s proven petroleum reserves, Saudi Arabia’s economy is heavily dependent on oil. To be precise, petroleum accounts for 90% of export earnings, 80% of budget revenues, and 45% of the country’s GDP. 


The 9th Annual HSE Forum in Energy has attracted widespread industry support from Qatar Petroleum; Petrotechnics; Industrial Scientific; Chemsafe and Pinsent Masons. The forum is also endorsed by the British Safety Council, ASSE, British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS), IPIECA, The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) and International Institute of Risk & Safety Management (IIRSM).



For more information about the 9th Annual HSE Forum in Energy please log on to www.fleminggulf.com



About Fleming Gulf: With a rich history in producing high quality, industry specific business events around the world, Fleming Gulf Conferences is one of the leading names in the business intelligence industry.


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Josse Dulka, Shamal Marketing Communications, Dubai also photo