Development Plans for Workers in the Oil Sector for a Risk-Free Work Environment

Based on the directives of the good government, the Minister of Oil, Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, stated that the National Oil and Gas Authority (NOGA) stresses the importance of health, safety and the environment for the development of human resources; as the human element is one of the most important resources that any production institution relies on to develop, modernize and increase production, pointing out that oil companies affiliated with the Authority always strive to set development training plans and work to inform all workers about the latest programs related to occupational health and safety, in order to create a safe work environment that is free from risks that may cause damage, waste and loss.

Furthermore, Mohammed bin Khalifa pointed out that the events of the World Conference on Health, Safety and Environment are continuously held in the Kingdom of Bahrain because of the Kingdom’s good reputation in organizing various events, and for the continuous support and assistance provided by the Government to achieve the desired goals, praising the efforts of the Organizing Committee for organizing, arranging, and preparing for this important event.

On the other hand, NOGA held a press conference to announce that the Kingdom of Bahrain will host the seventh edition of the World Conference on Health, Safety and Environment, entitled «Efficiency, Flexibility and Sustainability», during the period from the 30th of September to the 3rd of October 2019 at the Gulf International Conference Center at the Gulf Hotel under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa.

During the Conference, the CEO of Bahrain National Gas Company (Banagas), Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, said that the Conference, in its seventh edition, will be held on the 30th of September for 4 consecutive days, pointing to the endeavor of the Conference’s main committee to make it an international conference.

Also, he explained that since its launch 7 years ago, the Conference has taken a role and focus on the Gulf countries, as it was held last year in Kuwait, while next year it will be held in the Sultanate of Oman, and in the future will be held in Saudi Arabia and the Emirates.

On his part, the Executive Vice President for International Strategies and Relations at NOGA, Faihan Al-Faihani, stated that NOGA encourages conferences specialized in the oil sector and seeks to hold them, pointing out that this Conference witnessed a great development in all advanced substantive and technical aspects, especially in the field of health and safety.

Emphasizing that NOGA, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and UOB in addition to private universities, seeks to attract undergraduate students through the conferences it organizes and sponsors, with the aim of expanding the perceptions of the participating students to transfer knowledge and invest it in the interest of building and strengthening their capabilities and broadening their perceptions regarding the areas of work in the oil and gas sector.

Regarding the success of the Conference over the past years, the Chairman of the Organizing Committee, Mohammed Al-Hussaini, showed how successful the Conference had been over the past seven years, as the first edition of the Conference was held in New Delhi with the attendance of 450 participants, and we constantly break this number each year, while the attendance in Kuwait reached 1082 participants, expecting the seventh edition to witness the attendance of 1,200 participants. And regarding the number of companies, Al-Hussaini indicated that the number of companies participating in the first edition was 30, and 50 companies are expected to participate in the seventh edition.

Furthermore, he added that “The number of speakers reached 40 in the first edition, and it increased to 109 speakers in this edition, as the number of participating countries increased from about 5 countries in the first edition to 22 countries, which confirms the success of this Conference.”

The representative of Saudi “Sadara” Company on behalf of the Chairman of the Technical Committee, Wael Asilan, explained that the Conference will discuss 3 topics, which are: efficiency and flexibility in business performance and sustainability, pointing to the importance of these topics in maintaining occupational safety and rational control of resources.

Also, he pointed out that the Conference’s working papers were chosen by experts, and they will be an addition to the Conference to obtain the scientific material it seeks.

Regarding the investments of NOGA and its subsidiary oil companies in the field of sustainability, the CEO of Strategies and International Relations, Faihan Al-Faihani, said that NOGA encourages its subsidiaries to invest in this field, but the exact size of the investment might not be currently available.

In the same context, the representative of GPIC, Yasser Al-Abbasi, stated that GPIC is spending large sums on the field of sustainability in the company, and GPIC is one of the smallest industrial companies under the auspices of NOGA, and the amounts invested in this field are estimated at billions.

Moreover, he added that if the volume of investment is doubled with Bapco, Banagas and the rest of the oil companies in Bahrain, the amounts will be huge, and a large part of the operating budget for each company is related to sustainability and health and environmental concerns, which is estimated at more than 20%. Also, the representative of Aramco stated that “Manufacturing companies set a budget of no less than 10 to 15% for sustainability projects, and last year Aramco worked on five projects with 3 million Saudi riyals,” stressing that sustainability is a culture for future generations, and if we don’t start considering methods to preserve energy and water, we will face huge challenges in the coming years.