Opito, a global oil and gas skills and training body, has called on the industry not to cut corners on safety training and competence in the face of oil price slump.

David Doig, group chief executive for Opito, said: “With operators looking for ways to cut costs in the current climate it is imperative that there are no compromises when it comes to ensuring the safety of the workforce. It is a challenging time but the economic conditions cannot be a reason to relax standards; not when the cost of making mistakes are too high in terms of loss of life or damage to the environment.

He was speaking after Opito announced the final speaker line-up and content for its sixth annual conference and exhibition on safety and competence to be held in Abu Dhabi on the November 3 and sponsored by Shell.

The global event solely focused on safety and competence in oil and gas, Opito Safety and Competence Conference (OSCC) brings together governments, industry, regulators and training providers to share new thinking and best practice on improving safety and developing competence among the onshore and offshore oil and gas workforce.  

This year’s theme “The Economics of Safety at $50 Oil” will look at how the industry maintains competence and continues to keep its people safe in a low oil price environment.

“Hazards and risk remain the same regardless of the oil price and a lower barrel of oil equivalent must not mean that they are managed differently. It is the smart organisations who realise that in times of turbulence, a highly skilled, safe and motivated workforce is critical to remain competitive. Production operations will continue as will the need for maintenance. If we take a cynical view that maintenance activities will be reduced then the need to ensure the workforce is trained and competent becomes even greater,” said Doig.

The conference will explore how the industry can avoid the long-term damage caused by short-term cost-cutting measures through strategies that increase efficiency without putting people or the environment at risk.

Arjan Ross, operations Health and Safety Executive (HSE) department head at Adnoc, and Simon Roddy, general manager of Safety, Environment & Social Performance, Shell Upstream International, will join Shell Group’s vice-president of Safety, Tony Paul and Kevin Myers, deputy chief executive of the HSE in discussing managing people in a downturn, increasing efficiency whilst retaining talent and driving a common approach to hazard management.

Business speakers, Kevin Gaskell and Andrew Garner will bring perspectives from outside the oil and gas sector to the conference.

In his session on the psychology of managing a downturn, Gaskell will use his experiences at the helm of Porsche, BMW and Lamborgini to demonstrate the value of leadership, teamwork and innovation in strategies that deliver efficiency and opportunity without impacting on safety or quality.

Recognised for steering a generation of business leaders through the turbulence that erupts when their established industry maps and models no longer work, Garner has helped fashion the make-up of boardrooms of many of the most successful global businesses. He will consider the best ways in which to retain and recruit the best talent when cost savings are being made.

Paul Mahoney’s session entitled 'Safety off the Balance Sheet' will demonstrate the real cost of safety in terms of the long-lasting human cost when systems fail. His presentation will show why safety must be considered as an investment rather than a cost.

Around 500 delegates and 20 exhibitors will attend the conference, which provides a unique opportunity to hear from safety leaders from other industries, learn about new thinking, find out more about global standards and new training practices and network with industry decision-makers who are committed to making the oil and gas sector safer for every employee, anywhere in the world.-TradeArabia News Service