BENIN CITY- Due to the hazardous nature in the oil and gas sector in Nigeria, stakeholders in the industry has advocated the need for a safer environmental practices in operational sites.
This was advocated on Wednesday, at the 2017 Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, (NNPC), Health Safety and Environmental,(HSE) Week celebration, held at Nigeria Petroleum Development Company(NPDC) in Benin city, with the Theme: “Driving Towards Excellent HSE Performance In NNPC”.
Delivering is keynote address, the Group Managing Director,(GMD), NNPC, Dr Maikanti Baru, noted that, the cost of safe environmental practices is minimal when compared to the cost of cleaning up oil spills.
Dr Baru whose address was read by the General Manager HSE, Maxwell Ogoh, added that, a good HSE is not a waste of time and resources, but rather a saver of resources and time as well as protecting the environment.
“The reward of excellent HSE for the communities where we work is progress and peace of mind that the environment will be preserved for the future generations”, He further added.
Also speaking, Managing Director NPDC, a subsidiary of NNPC, Yusuf Matashi, said, the week was an opportunity to celebrate the achievements in HSE, reflects on it failures, and renew the corporation’s commitment to propagate the health, safety, and environmental protection message.
Matashi added, “As we plan to increase in crude oil production, targeting up to 400,000Bpd in the next three years, the focus on HSE must be total”.
On his part, the GM HSE, Maxwell Ogoh, said, Global statistics shows that workplace accidents and diseases accounts for over 1.2 million fatalities annually, more than fatal road accident worldwide.
As the main driver of HSE in Nigeria, Mr Ogoh however noted, the pursuit for a safe and healthier workforce and workplace is an ongoing mission, which according to him is a joint responsibility of both employers and employees, adding, “the employer provides the safe workplace and the employee to key in”.
Other speakers includes, Prof Friday Sigalo of Rivers State University of Science and Technology, who spoke on the topic titled, “Imbibing Safety Culture: A Key To Success In NNPC”, and Prof Emmanuel Ukpebor of the University of Benin, who delivered a lecture titled, “Driving Towards Excellent HSE Performance In NNPC—The Environment Is Ours To Enjoy: Preserve It”.
Highpoint of the 2017 HSE week celebration was presentation of awards to deserving management staff of the corporation.
