Of course, we still have a long way to go, and it is not a subject that you can relax and take time out from. The risks are there all of the time and they never take a rest. Complacency is our biggest danger and we need to be mindful of it always.
What is your opinion on how PDO is managing ‘Process Safety’, and what needs to be done to reduce the number of process incidents?
Process Safety is still not particularly well understood, despite all of the initiatives that PDO has undertaken to improve awareness and understanding of the subject. The importance of managing Asset Integrity and Process Safety correctly cannot be overstated. If we cannot keep our hydrocarbons within our process vessels then we will face major process incidents. In 2014, we suffered 22 of these major incidents and we need to arrest this increase and then reverse it to ensure our process is safe and our production for the Government is not compromised through the loss of a key installation.
You now look after the medical side of the business. How successful has PDO been in addressing the medical needs of the people?
The PDO medical team is doing a great job. In their profession, they do not get a lot of thanks or appreciation for what they achieve but they make such a difference to so many people. I have the utmost respect for them and the work that they do. The medical team will soon enjoy new facilities outside of the Mina Al Fahal gates, which will be a tremendous step forward for PDO. They have also conducted many health campaigns, which have benefited thousands of our staff and contractors.
How would you describe the strategic HSE vision in one sentence?
It has to be: ‘Simplifying our systems so that they work for those most at risk, so they make sense, are achievable and can be easily complied with.’
What is the biggest obstacle to HSE for PDO?
Complacency has to be our biggest barrier to success. If a team has not suffered an incident for a while, then they begin to wonder why complying with the rules is so important as it takes so much effort. That’s when incidents occur.
The same argument can be made about our growing Local Community Contractor community; they can easily become complacent because they have not been exposed to the hazards before and felt their effects.
Many of our Lost Time Injuries this year have resulted not from our high-risk facilities but from low-risk environments and low-risk activities, like crossing the road and slipping on the kerb.
What do you say to those cynics that say that ‘Goal Zero’ – no harm to people and the environment – is an unattainable goal and we should be more realistic?
There will always be those with a more cynical side, but we have already achieved ‘Goal Zero’ in many contracts and in many departments, so of course it is achievable. The key is to make it achievable in every operation, every activity, and every contract and in every project. That is the challenge. Can we do it? I believe with enough willpower, enough compliance, keeping to our Golden and the Life Saving rules, yes we can, and indeed we will.
What are the key game changers if you are to eliminate incidents?
Game changers? Wow, that’s a difficult one…. I strongly believe we need to have a strong focus on welfare. If we do not look after our people’s welfare then the HSE message will fall on deaf ears. We then need to ensure our workforce is competent in the work that we ask them to do. We need to ensure the equipment and tools that they use are fit for use, appropriate for the task and well maintained. We need to ensure that the risk of the work has been assessed and controls have been implemented so it is a safe working environment. We need to ensure everyone knows what they should be doing, that they are properly supervised and that they intervene when they see something wrong.
In short, they need to always comply, intervene and respect each other and the rules, including our 12 Life Saving Rules. These have saved many lives and continue to be one of the strongest influencers in keeping our people alive.
Can you tell us about your ‘Tell A Friend’ campaign?
‘Tell A Friend’ is a campaign on road safety initiated by PDO two years ago. The campaign is in partnership with the Royal Oman Police to raise awareness of safe driving in Oman. The campaign focuses in particular on young drivers in an effort to change their driving behaviours so they act more safely on the roads, obey the law, respect other people and maintain their vehicles properly. The campaign is led by Munira Al Balushi, PDO’s HSE Communication Adviser.
