Enhancing health, safety practices in the oil and gas industry

With the movement of oil firms from
land to swamp, offshore to deep
offshore, the risk associated with
petroleum exploration and production
has increased in many nations, including
Nigeria. UDEME AKPAN reports that
many stakeholders have expressed
professional views on how to promote
health and safety practices in the
industry.
Globally, oil operations are not immune to
accidents. A major stakeholder in the oil
business, Mr. Stanislav Patin stated that
accidents inevitably accompany offshore
development. He stated that they are the
sources of environmental pollution at all
stages of oil and gas production.
"The causes, scale, and severity of the
accidents' consequences are extremely
variable. They depend on a concrete
combination of many natural, technical, and
technological factors. To a certain extent,
each accidental situation develops in
accordance with its unique scenario. The
most typical causes of accidents include
equipment failure, personnel mistakes, and
extreme natural impacts (seismic activity, ice
fields, hurricanes, and so on)," he stated.
He stated that their main hazard is connected
with the spills and blowouts of oil, gas, and
numerous other chemical substances and
compounds. Patin stated the environmental
consequences of accidental episodes are
especially severe, sometimes dramatic, when
they happen near the shore, in shallow
waters, or in areas with slow water
circulation.
"Drilling accidents are usually associated with
unexpected blowouts of liquid and gaseous
hydrocarbons from the well as a result of
encountering zones with abnormally high
pressure. No other situations but tanker oil
spills can compete with drilling accidents in
frequency and severity. Broadly speaking,
two major categories of drilling accidents
should be distinguished. One of them covers
catastrophic situations involving intense and
prolonged hydrocarbon gushing. These occur
when the pressure in the drilling zone is so
high that usual technological methods of well
muffling do not help. Lean holes have to be
drilled to stop the blowout," stated.
He stated the other group of accidental
situations includes regular, routine episodes
of hydrocarbon spills and blowouts during
drilling operations. He also stated that these
accidents can be controlled rather effectively
(in several hours or days) by shutting in the
well with the help of the blowout preventers
and by changing the density of the drilling
fluid. He stated that accidents of this kind are
not so impressive as rare catastrophic
blowouts.
"The main causes of tanker accidents that
lead to large oil spills include running
aground and into shore reefs, collisions with
other vessels, and fires and explosions of the
cargo. According to official data [IMO, 1990],
the amount of oil spilled during tanker
accidents in 1989 and in 1990 were 114,000
and 45,000 tons, respectively.
At the same time, the total volume of oil
pollution caused by marine oil transportation
was 500,000 tons a year," he stated.
The oilman stated that significantly, both
large drilling accidents and large tanker
catastrophes occur relatively rarely. The
frequencies of such incidents as well as the
oil volumes released in large spills differ from
year to year. He stated that in some cases,
the tanker accidents occurred right in the
zone of the oil field development.
However, these sad experiences are not
limited to other nations. In Nigeria, available
reports are filled with many cases of
accidents. These have attracted the
comments of many stakeholders. One of
them is the Minister of Petroleum Resources,
Moved to check the situation, the Minister of
Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-
Madueke. She has urged stated the
Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) to
compel oil and gas companies to provide
Standard Operating Procedure (SoP) for their
staff. Alison-Madueke disclosed this in Lagos
at the ongoing 16th International Health
Safety and Environment Biennial Conference
on the oil and gas industry in Nigeria.
She said that absence of adequate literature
such as SoP in respect of complex facilities
being operated by relatively inexperienced
workers has been that major causes of
incidents and accidents. The minister who
was represented by Mr. George Osahan,
Director, DPR said that companies would not
only be compiled to provide adequate
literature for their staff, DPR will also carried
out routine Technical Safety Review to ensure
compliance.
According to her, a review of the number and
nature of accidents in the last few years
confirmed our genuine belief that safety
control in the industry is not only necessary
but needs new approaches and emphasis. As
she puts it, "Vision 2020 seems to be on
course as Nigeria was recently declared the
largest economy in the Africa, most of which
is nonetheless predicated on the oil and gas
industry. The position of Nigeria as major
player in the oil and gas industry is however
threatened by security challenges which has
made oil theft and pipeline vandalism a
common topic of discussion among industry
players.''
Alison-Madueke said that the conference was
held against the background of much
heightened and imp0roved safety awareness
by Nigerians. She said that the petroleum
industry worldwide is dynamic and highly
organised through its advanced standards,
codes of practice and control system, adding
in Nigeria control of the industry is founded
on legal framework that are predicated on
international standard.
"In furtherance of government at deepening
the participation of indigenous investors in
the sector, the president has graciously
approved the establishment of a Modular
Refinery. Initiative to soften local supply of
petroleum products, especially kerosene
which does not require elaborate technology
to produce. It is the believe of government
that the short project cycle, low cost and
flexibility for establishing modular refineries
would encourage proper investment in
refinery operation and minimize crude oil
theft and operation of artisanal refineries,"
she stated.
The Director of petroleum Resources, Mr.
George Osahan stated that the topic as
chosen to raise consciousness and
contemporary issues on effective safety
controls in the Nigerian oil and gas industry.
Osahan said that the agency will continually
work with industry stakeholders to put
forward such policies that will ensure long-
term protection and sustenance of a safe
working environment by keeping pace with
novel industry trends and technologies.
"DPR has successfully instituted appropriate
environmental performance evaluation
mechanism to determine the extent of
compliance on the part of operating
companies. It is our conviction that your
continue contributions to HSE initiatives will
reposition the industry and move HSE pursuit
to higher levels. On our part we will continue
to encourage co9ntributions towards
increased development HSE competence and
practices in the Nigerian oil and gas
industry," he stated.
The former Head of State, General Yakubu
Gowon however commended the Nigerian
National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for
living up to expectation. The elder statesman
who recently turned 80 spoke over the
weekend in Abuja at an event organized in
his honour to induct him into the Living
Legends Hall of Fame explained that the
Nigerian National Oil Company (as the
Corporation was known at inception) was
established by his administration after the
civil war to help generate revenue for the
government from the oil and gas sector.
Also speaking at the event, the Group
Managing Director of NNPC, Dr. Joseph
Dawha, described General Gowon as a
visionary leader under whose administration
the Corporation was founded. He stated that
NNPC is very proud to be part of this
important event to celebrate one of its
founding fathers, General Yakubu Gowon as a
Living Legend.
The GMD who was represented by the Group
Executive Director, Business Development
Directorate of NNPC, Dr. Attahir Baba Yusuf,
stated that the sponsorship of the event was
in line with the Corporation's philosophy as
expressed in its payoff line: "We Touch Your
Lives in Many Positive Ways".
The Coordinator of the Living Legends Project,
Mr Olu Ajayi, stated that to qualify as a Living
Legend, one must have maintained a track
record for 40 years. He explained that the
Living Legend Project which was established
in 2008 is an innovative initiative to
document, preserve, promote and celebrate
distinguished personalities that have
exhibited exemplary character and
contributed positively to humanity. Ajayi
stated that the documentation in painting of
the immortal deeds and accomplishments of
icons is expected to inspire the younger
generation of Nigerians to emulate their great
deeds as well as to re-awaken their sense of
national consciousness and patriotism.

Posted By David Aniemeka