Gordon Foot, Client Representative for Total Nigeria Ltd, talks about his experience as a health and safety professional and offers invaluable advice to others.
Having joined the Royal Navy as an engineer at 17 I undertook a wide variety of trades training from pneumatics, hydraulics, and electronics to explosives. Bearing in mind that I joined the submarine service there was a self preservation/ vested interest in all aspects concerning safety issues. During my early career it became evident that primarily all my duties involved a safety content, from nuclear medicine and health physics to electrical and explosives safety. It became a natural instinct and way of life to ‘think safety’.
As I achieved promotions I became responsible for procedures, safe systems of work, and eventually a complete submarine – whilst berthed alongside in harbor and ultimately the people (both employees and the local community) that may be impacted by unsafe conditions. This training, knowledge and experience I now utilise in my senior role representing the client’s interest in subsea engineering within offshore critical infrastructure construction projects in both oil and gas and offshore wind farms. I feel that working safely is working intelligently and where every minute costs large sums of money in this industry everyone has to be working smart to achieve cost efficiencies safely.
My past roles provided the interest, understanding and appreciation of safe systems of work, yet I had no formal qualifications apart from extensive military training. On leaving naval service I set out to rectify this situation by undertaking the challenging path of formal training for and passing civilian accredited exams. This included the NEBOSH suite of certification, IOSH Directing Safely and two masters degrees (an MA in maritime security and I have just completed an MSc in risk, crisis and disaster management). I would like to think that having added such credentials to my extensive underpinning knowledge has added value to my CV and thus provided some amazing challenging project opportunities as a consultant as a result.
The daily challenges have to be the international make up of the work force on any offshore project. I have been on a ship with 26 different nationalities and mariners, who come from all walks of life. Interesting aspects of communication, cultural differences, world-view, behavioural safety, maritime ergonomics, how we treat the environment, human factors and risk perception all impact on what is trying to be achieved safely on a project. In such a risk (controlled) and high capital environment the cost, time and production efficiencies are strong drivers that also have to be recognised and maintaining a synergy with safe practices becomes a dynamic on-going process.
The most interesting part is the myriad of ways you can use communication, which most importantly involves listening, so that inexperienced members of the work force can be mentored and assisted to undertake their roles safely through diplomacy and relationship building. I also have a keen interest in ‘lessons learnt’ and feel quite strongly that this should be taken more seriously across all industries and disciplines.
One of the most important factors I believe is to never be complacent however senior you may believe your position is, and to consider the fact that you will never know everything as life is full of unexpected surprises. I am a member of a couple of professional institutes and when overseas on projects the internet enables me to keep current with their digital magazines and industry updates. I also promote aspects of Continuous Professional Development (CPD) in whatever form that may take; the simple idea is that you never stop learning. For me this is the corner stone that you must embrace if you call yourself a professional.
Presenting a project certificate and safety award to a junior engineer, who had informed his supervisor of the wrong type of valve fitting to a hydraulic heavy lifting tool, was an immense pleasure. This was reported just prior to its use. He made a brave decision as he knew it would cost the project valuable time and money on the tool down-time. When presenting the certificate I was proud to announce that he had sought and received the trust and respect from his company and that he had indeed ‘done the right thing’ morally, professionally and therefore to the benefit of keeping his fellow workers safe. The ship’s Captain, top management of his and three other contracting companies were proud to shake his hand.
The idea that we learn from our mistakes is an ideal. It is human nature that we forget, move on, seek the next target or KPI, yet mindfulness and active learning principles should and can be a part of an organisation’s ability to harness this information and so create a better climate for resilience. Information sharing is key to this function and if corporations were to better embrace such important aspects of sharing the term ‘we will endeavour to learn from this event’ may never be uttered again. In complex high risk socio-technical systems it is not often you ever get that ‘second chance’. It should be the team’s sole aim to get it right the first time.
Firstly, to remember you are not employed as a preacher or a police officer and secondly, that respect and empathy can go a long way toward keeping the two-way traffic flowing. Lose sight of either one and collaboration becomes nonexistent and one-way traffic falls on deaf ears. If you have the foresight to be able to stand in someone else’s shoes well before you start the communication process, the outcome is invariably so much more fruitful.
Practitioners, academics, laypersons and policy makers are part of the advisory function that keep any organisation current and focused in the real world. Strategies that involve regulators unions and key business stakeholders ensure that the HSE is working with business. Cutting unnecessary bureaucracy and striving towards openness is to be applauded when a collective ownership is sought that can remain in good shape for the future.
I am a firm believer on the issue of experience; having a certificate however credible proves competency on the day to pass an exam and is just the start. Get experience within your discipline or trade whether it is a factory, office or construction site. Volunteer, attend summer school, use your weekends or apply for an internship, as respect from your co-workers is critical as should be your level of confidence to undertake such a key role. Oh, and never be afraid to ask ‘why?’ it can be quite enlightening to understand someone’s perception. As a submarine Captain once told me: “there is no such thing as a stupid question”. So be brave, ask that question, and become knowledgeable and safer for the experience of having done so.
Total E&P Nigeria Ltd – Senior Client Representative
Total Upstream Nigeria Ltd – Senior Client Representative
TenneT Offshore GmbH – Client Representative, North Sea, German sector, Offshore Wind Farms
Subsea 7 Survey Party Chief BP Angola Block 31 &
Subsea 7 Survey Party Chief ExxonMobile (MPN) Nigeria OSO
Enemalta Corporation – Client Representative Mediterranean, Malta-Sicily, Submarine Power Cable
TenneT Offshore GmbH Client Representative, North Sea, German sector, Offshore Wind Farms
Contract Survey Party Chief/ Client Representative Projects
Chief Engineer-Manager – Royal Navy
Offshore Staff Party Chief/ Principle Engineer (Global)
Senior Chief Officer – Royal Navy
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Hi, I’m doing occupational health and safety at,University and I am looking for a bursary or sponsor.any information about sponsorship let’s me know.
Congrats on ur achievements and may the Lord continue showing you the way and impacting more. Work safe n smart.
Cheers