Extreme weather conditions, threat to oil operations – Minister: Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke Extreme weather conditions which have been attributed to global warming, are forcing the country’s oil industry to adopt more stringent Health, Safety and Environment conditions in its operations. The increasing scope of activities especially in the offshore terrain is also necessitating the introduction of some measures and policies that will raise HSE standards and minimise incidents in the Nigerian oil and gas industry The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, said this at the 16th Biennial Conference on Health, Safety and Environment in the oil sector held in Lagos. The conference had the theme: Innovative Approach towards Emerging Safety Challenges. She said rapid and radical changes were taking place in safety procedures, process technology, and equipment; of which safety management, for instance, was now taken more seriously than ever before. The tendency, the minister said, was to entrench it as a social and behavioural attitude to make it sink into the psyche of operatives. Alison-Madueke said, “Public perception and expectation are also changing at a faster pace. “The petroleum industry worldwide is dynamic and highly organised through its advanced standards, codes of practice and control systems. “Here in Nigeria, control of the industry is founded on legal frameworks that are predicated on international standards. Thus, Nigeria is a signatory to numerous international protocols, conventions, agreements, laws and regulations that govern oil and gas industry operations.” The Minister, who was represented by the Director, Department of Petroleum Resources, Mr. George Osahon, said in order to keep track of the HSE status of workers operating offshore, the country introduced the Offshore Safety Permit, which was unveiled three years ago, with the objective of ensuring that all offshore installations were manned by adequately equipped personnel, in accordance with the provisions of the Mineral Oils Safety Regulations, 1997 and the Petroleum (Drilling and Production) Regulation, 1969. According to her, a review of the number and nature of accidents in the last few years confirmed that safety control in the industry was not only imperative but required new approaches and emphasis. She said absence of adequate literature, such as Standard Operating Procedure, in respect of complex facilities being operated by relatively inexperienced workers, had been one of the major causes of incidents and accidents. The minister stressed, “In this regard therefore, companies will not only be compelled to provide adequate literature for their staff, the DPR will be mandated to carry out routine Technical Safety Review to ensure compliance. “Statutory risk-based inspection of facilities to determine their state of health, in compliance with applicable health, safety and environmental statutes is another area where government has been particularly active. Government, through the DPR, carries out safety control inspections, specifically targeted at facilities which pose the greatest risk to the environment, such as rigs and production platforms.” Alison-Madueke said the Federal Government viewed with grave concern the debilitating consequence of the activities of pipeline vandals, oil thieves and operators of illegal refineries otherwise known as artisanal refiners. The effects of these activities, she explained, had not only resulted in great loss of revenue accruable to government, but also led to loss of several lives and property, damage to the environment and socio-economic disconnect. According to her, the recent announcement of an increase in the price of gas and the settlement of debt owed gas suppliers over the years constitute another major step taken by government to encourage investment in the gas sector, which will invariably reduce the rate of flaring. She said, “I like to express the appreciation of government to our partners that signed the gas supply agreement for the power sector and urge industry players to continue to cooperate with government to ensure that we collectively sustain good HSE practices. The Ministry on its part will continue to set agenda that will guarantee effective safety of operations and sustainable environmental development for all, at all times.”
Posted on: Thu, 04 Dec 2014 08:39:00 +0000
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