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Oil second most dangerous industry
The Arab world’s main oil cartel has proposed guidelines on health, safety and the environment for the oil industry which it describes as the second most dangerous after the nuclear industry.
The 10-nation Organisation of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) said environmental policies by major consumers have added pressure on the industry and stifled earnings.
The Kuwaiti-based OAPEC said guidelines should cover policies on environment, define responsibilities, identify training needs and explain operations for continued environment control.
“The disasters and hazards related to the oil industry are the reason it has been classified as the second most dangerous industry after the nuclear industry,” said OAPEC’s bulletin.
“They have attracted the attention of specialised international agencies, which have imposed strict legislation on the oil industry to prevent disasters and protect the environment from pollution. However, the legislation has placed enormous burdens on the industry in terms of increased operating costs and reduced profit margins.
“Industry management has come to recognise the importance of health, safety, and environmental systems to complying with the legislation and avoiding the huge losses that could result from violating it.
“One way of promoting the application of a system for health, safety, and environmental management is to compile a guide to the policies to be followed. It should define the responsibilities and functions of all jobs so as to achieve the optimal level of health, occupational safety, and environment conservation. This should form part of an institution’s organisational structure.
“The guide should also help define the links between production and maintenance plans and their relationship with health, safety, and environmental programmes.”
Moreover, it should identify staff training requirements and explain operations for continual environmental monitoring and self-inspection of worksites to ensure their compliance with the guidelines. Steps should also be taken to ensure the continued validity of preventative and corrective measures for dealing with probable hazards, to identify gaps in the system, and to propose solutions.
Other benefits of such a guide would be:
- To improve the institution’s image and reputation in the eyes of customers, clients, and the neighbouring area.
- To boost plants’ productivity and economic efficiency.
- To reduce the costs of staff health care by reducing accidents and injuries at work.
- To make it easier to obtain an ISO 14000 certificate of quality or the equivalent.
- To predict hazards before their occurrence.
- To enhance the participation of staff at all levels in reducing hazards and protecting the environment.
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