Nigerian Oil Companies Flout Safety Rules
November 13th, 2008Nigerian Minister of State for Energy (Petroleum), Mr Odein Ajumogobia, accused oil companies of engaging in acts that destroy the environment and pose health risks to their employees. Ajumogobia was speaking at the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR)’s 13th Health Safety and Environment (HSE) conference of the oil and gas industry.
Oil firms were also criticized for not adhereing to rules,regulations and guidelines, which had been prepared for the purpose of ensuring and enforcing Health and Safety best practices.
"Oil industry operations from time to time have been characterised by unfortunate but avoidable accidents. Tragically, some of such accidents have resulted in fatalities and debilitating injuries to people who are working in the industry, through the exposure to risks, which should have been mitigated," he said.
"Recent complaints of labour organisations – NUPENG in particular, on behalf of oil workers, have highlighted some of these lapses in the areas of Health and Safety of oil workers. Complaints range from unsafe structure, arising from poor and ineffective design or substandard construction, to the integrity of some of the oil facilities, which have not been maintained over the years, sometimes since they were installed, due to non-adherence to rules, regulations and guidelines," he added.
"Companies and operators are quick to show concern and response to physical injuries which are visible and debilitating, especially if the injuries stop the employees from carrying out the tasks that are assigned to them," Ajumogobia said.
According to the minister, oil companies do not respond to environmental and safety issues in the same way. He complained that the companies tend to emphasise environmental issues and that they neglect the occupational Health and Safety side of their business. The minister called on the oil companies to adopt a more holistic and integrated approach with detailed consideration of the issues pertaining to all the elements of Health, Safety and the Environment.
"Health, the physical and mental well being, which I think is the definition of Health, is often taken for granted and left to the devises of individual employees rather than being the responsibility of the employer."
Source: This Day (Lagos)
By: Ejiofor Alike
Posted: 4 November 2008
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