OQ highlighted its strengths across the fields of health, safety and environmental sustainability (HSE) at the 8th edition of the Global HSE Conference & Exhibition 2022, which was organised at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre from the 16th to 19th May.

Held under the auspices of His Excellency Eng. Saeed Bin Hamoud Al-Mawali, Minister of Transport, Communications and IT, the four-day event continued its tradition of creating a sustainable platform for the industry to discuss and debate various challenges faced by the industry while exploring new landscapes within the energy transition.

The Conference opened under the theme of HSE Excellence – Leadership, Sustainability and Technology as the core components.

Showcasing its HSE prowess over the years, OQ featured persons from the senior management as keynote speakers on the topics of Health and Wellbeing, diversification in Upstream operations, along with carbon footprint reduction, GHG estimation, and climate change impact. Officials also participated in panel discussions, while showcasing HSE achievements at the OQ booth.

His Excellency Eng. Saeed Bin Hamoud Al-Mawali was briefed about the efforts exerted by OQ Group in the fields of Health, Safety and Environment as well as current practices in sustainable growth across OQ locations and operations.

HE Al-Mawali was informed about the procedures and requirements adopted by the Group regarding health, safety and the environment and the extent to which they are maintained by OQ in all its operations and facilities in accordance with local and international policies and frameworks. He was also introduced to the achievements made by the group in maintaining said standards.

Leading an HSE culture change, OQ has created a long-term strategy for a foundational change in every process. The very foundation on which energy is imagined is challenged for the better through the development of green energy such as renewables, biofuels, CCUS, amongst others.

Under the Leadership pillar, OQ has transformed work culture by promoting the Safety Leadership Program (Downstream) that empowers individuals to stop work when and if required. Another critical initiative is the Leadership Accountability programme that covers various segments such as the OPAL Road Safety Forum, Camp Standards Program, and Fitness to Work amongst others while also adapting industry best practices for a safer working environment.

On the lines of digitalisation, OQ is constantly redefining the way they work. Technological innovations such as the OQ Odour Abatement Project (e-nose network – that predicts odours or release of gases); the introduction of the Well Assurance Safety Programme (WASP) and ePTW system to prevent worker injury and fatality along with the introduction of Firefighting Virtual Reality (FLAIM) programme are in place to eliminate any pertinent risks.

OQ has come a long way in its transformational journey. As a versatile innovator, it has embraced new cultures and synergies to expand horizons and create opportunities. Today, the organisation stands proud of its ever-evolving environment, safety & health culture.

With the endorsement of this event, OQ shares with the community the HSE advances, systems and policies, which are aligned with the international best practices and standards.

Hamad Al-Shidhani, the Vice President of Health and Safety in OQ Upstream, gave a presentation in which he explained that the health and safety of operations, and environmental sustainability at the Group is a leadership-enhanced style of work that is applied at all levels at OQ to ensure the integrity of assets and enhance reliability, productivity and sustainability at the Group.

The exhibition coincided with the Global Health, Safety and Environment Conference, in which OQ highlighted its priority across health and safety practices.