The Business Environment
In terms of dollar value, the oil and gas industry is one of the biggest sectors on a global scale. Needless to say, oil is essential to the world’s economic framework; oil and gas exploration, drilling, production, transportation, processing and handling are associated with hazards, which pose threats to life, health, and wellbeing of employees, as well as the public and environment. There is concern for health, safety and environment in the oil and gas industry. An integrated approach to management of health, safety and environment can provide a quality management system for managing risks in the industry to ensure the protection of workers, assets, reputation, and the operational environment.
Hazards can be reduced by the development and application of improved technology in oil and gas operations. Crude oil and natural gas will continue to play an important role in the future world energy balance for decades to come. The importance of oil and gas cannot be overemphasized. However, their recovery, transportation, processing and use, are all fraught with hazards to human health and earth’s ecology. Exploration, drilling and production use poisonous chemicals that can pollute the environment and endanger the health of workers. Processing produces products that are not only toxic and noxious and affect the health of workers, but risk fire, explosion, more pollution and other hazards. Accidents do occur from time to time.
The Oil and Gas industry is a leader in the development and application of advanced technology.
Research showed that accidents are caused by unsafe acts and unsafe conditions, and could thus be prevented through Engineering, Education, Enforcement and Encouragement. The Oil and Gas industry is a leader in the development and application of advanced technology. Engineering would ensure proper and safe physical structures, equipment, materials, and maintenance. Education would provide training and instruction. Enforcement, through effective supervision, would ensure compliance of employees with set procedures and standards, and Encouragement would boost morale and bring about ready compliance and willingness of employees. In the Oil and Gas industry, these tasks are performed by the Health, Safety and Environment unit.
Ghana is an up and coming player in the oil and gas industry with operations in the upstream (exploration and production), mid-stream, and downstream sectors. After the discovery of oil and gas in commercial quantities in 2007, Ghana took steps to ensure a successful oil and gas regime. As such, the Petroleum Commission was set up in 2011 to regulate the upstream industry after commercial production begun in the Jubilee field in 2010. Ghana is seeking to double its production by the end of 2023, Egbert Faibille Jr., CEO of the Petroleum Commission of Ghana at the Chamber’s Dubai event said the country is seeking to double production from around 180,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 420,000 bpd, supported by commercial discoveries in the Tano Cape Three Points block.
The achievement of this ambitious objective could either be a mirage or potentially disastrous if critical attention is not paid to Safety and Engineering. Tohazie Safety & Engineering Ltd is here to fill that void.