What keeps you awake at night when thinking of HSE in PDO?

The thought of failure. The consequences of getting it wrong are so devastating: people’s lives can be lost; people can be disabled so they will never work again; or our installations could catch fire meaning we cannot provide the necessary revenue for our glorious country. People sometimes say that PDO goes over the top when it comes to HSE but I say you can never go too far when people can die so easily in such a high-risk industry. For PDO, safety is the bedrock of everything we do, but our incidents, and what we identify from them, show that we still have a long way to go in fully protecting our people and preventing harm to the environment from our business risks. The thought of those people who are no longer here and their families that have lost their loved ones, and often their bread winner: that is what drives me and causes me to lose sleep.

If you could ask everyone reading this to make one change in their lives, what would it be?

Only one? But there are so many! If you restrict me just to one, then it would have to be to ensure that you, and everyone who you are with whilst in a vehicle, always wear a seatbelt. It is the one device in modern society that has saved more lives than anything else, but it only works and helps in keeping you in this world and with your family if you choose to wear it. I know there are a multitude of reasons why people don’t want to wear a seatbelt but the one reason to wear it is so powerful that I still find it hard to see why we lose so many people on our roads.

How has your previous experience within operations as a Delivery Team Leader helped you in being successful in your current role?

It has been very useful as I view every issue from the perspective of our operations and of our contractors. It is important to be able to have empathy in identifying solutions to issues. It has also driven me to engage with our work colleagues and to ask their opinions and ideas, as they are often the ones with the best solutions. I have been told by some that I hold too many forums and working parties, but to my mind they are essential in giving everyone at every level a voice, as is being in the Interior operations listening to what people have to say.

What is the most important aspect of HSE in your opinion?

Most believe that safety is the most important, and it is certainly an overarching priority for PDO, but personally I don’t believe it is useful to compare the priorities of health, safety and environment. Yes, fatalities are high profile and we read about them in the news; however, many people suffer from chronic ill health that may be attributed to their work. For example, a bad posture sitting at a desk can plague a person with backache for many years, particularly when they are older.

Then we have to consider what life on Earth would be like if we did not look after our planet’s health and its resources. We have a moral responsibility to protect the planet as it’s the place that we all call ‘home’. That’s why I view our environmental projects with such enthusiasm as they all add so much value and focus our moral compass. The environment is probably the least well-known aspect of HSE, but definitely, its importance cannot be overstated.

How would you describe PDO’s focus on HSE within its activities?

I am proud to work in an organization that has such a dedication to HSE. We are lucky to be led by a Managing Director, Raoul Restucci, with such a passion and a hands-on approach to HSE. He is my line manager and I have learnt so much from him and his philosophy of managing such a difficult subject.