Freelance

Author Bio ▼

Jamie Hailstone is a freelance journalist and author, who has also contributed to numerous national business titles including Utility Week, the Municipal Journal, Environment Journal and consumer titles such as Classic Rock.
May 1, 2018

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Offshore

Oil and gas managers raise safety fears

A quarter of senior bosses in the oil and gas industry believe safety management in their sector is not effective, according to new research.

A report by technical advisors DNV GL, entitled The State of Safety, shows just 38% of professionals around the world think safety management is effective and does not need to change, while 26% disagreed and said it needed to change.

Almost half (46%) of those surveyed said they believe there has been underinvestment in inspection and maintenance in recent years. Just over a quarter (28%) said they expect to increase spending on safety this year, while the majority (61%) said they will maintain current budgets and 5% plan to cut investment.

More than a third (40%) of the 800-plus professionals questioned said they believe digital tools and technologies have improved safety over the past three years.

The report comes a week after the Health and Safety Executive’s Director of Energy Division, Chris Flint wrote to all offshore oil and gas production operators regarding gas leaks in the North Sea.

The letter warned more needs to be done to tackle the number of hydrocarbon releases (HCRs), which in some instances can cause fires or even explosions.

“The industry’s strong focus on cost control must continue in the long term for oil and gas to remain competitive and play an increasingly important role in the energy transition,” said DNV GL’s Chief Executive, Liv A. Hovem.

“However, our research confirms the sector’s clear belief that cost control must never come at the expense of safety.

“At DNV GL, we believe that digital technologies will be crucial to enhancing safety practises and improving hazard management.

“These will enable more effective and transparent risk communication across all levels of an organisation, as well as between multiple parties in projects and operations,” she added.

To download the full report, click here.

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