Review of April Industry Dinner with Safer Together
The term collaboration is often bandied around as a catch-all for any challenge that the oil and gas industry faces; however few have used the term with greater conviction than the Safer Together WA/NT senior leadership team at a recent Petroleum Club industry dinner.
Based on the Queensland model, Safer Together WA/NT is a not-for-profit, member-led organisation of Operator Companies and Contract Partner Companies committed to creating the leadership and collaboration needed to build a consistent and robust safety culture in the Western Australia and Northern Territory Oil and Gas Industry. Launched in March, a principal aim for the group is to work collaboratively to develop safety improvements including clear common standards and tools, together with shared expectations of implementation.
“In just a few years, this industry has grown from six LNG trains to fifteen. There's a significant shift in the way we work from having a construction focused workforce, to having an operations and maintenance workforce working with live plant equipment.
"Our risk profile is changing and will continue to change as the many projects continue to come on stream," said Niall Myles, SVP of Woodside’s Australia Operating Unit and co-chair of the group.
Niall points out that the industry’s ability to shift safety performance is much stronger if aligned on a standardised and simplified approach.
“We want our people to be focused on doing things right and that is more likely if the safety systems on each site are the same.
Safer Together WA/NT will improve the industry's safety outcomes by sharing best practice, developing and implementing industry standards and establishing practical programs designed to address current and anticipated safety risks.
With a current membership of fifty organisations, Safer Together WA/NT is open to all Operator Companies and Contract Partner companies that have a genuine interest in promoting safety.
While collaboration is vital, Niall pointed out that it doesn't happen without significant effort and leadership.
“We have a great industry and our performance has improved through open sharing of lessons learned. Taking this to the next level, we can solve problems together to standardised programs and solutions. That is harder - it requires the humility to compromise and strong safety leadership to carry those solutions through each organisation. The reward will be worth it with the increase in safety outcomes for the industry”
On the evening of the petroleum club function, the audience played a key role. More than thirty quality ideas were captured across the six Safer Together focus areas of; Safety Leadership, Competency & Behaviour, Land Transport, Process Safety, Rig Site Safety and Marine & Aviation. Ideas ranged from Common Safety Inductions and Equipment to leveraging Artificial Intelligence technologies. All ideas captured on the night are being fed into the Safer Together working groups and will help form the prioritised plans to be developed at the first industry forum in September 2018.
“This is an opportune time to improve the way safety is led and coordinated in the oil and gas sector in WA and the NT. Through collaboration, we can enhance the sector’s reputation as a safe and reliable supplier of energy,” said Niall at the Petroleum Club function.
To find out how your company can become a member of Safer Together WA/NT click here or address your query to info@safertogether.com.au.
