DOHA: Qatar Shell recently organised the Dropped Objects Prevention Scheme (DROPS) forum at the Doha Sheraton Hotel which was attended by professional suppliers from the oil and gas industry in Qatar and the Middle East.
The DROPS forum aims to address Dropped objects in all aspects of the oil and gas industry. Objects dropped from height have the potential to harm people, and is indeed one of the greatest safety concerns in the oil and gas industry. This is particularly true in the drilling domain where the rig designs inherently mean that a significant amount of equipment is located on the top where people work. Given the hazards, it is also an area which can be effectively addressed by attention to detail and vigilance.
The key focus of the forum held in Doha was on drilling operations. The forum was supported by the Qatar Drilling Operations Incident Review Committee and by the respective drilling managers from Qatar Petroleum and International Oil Companies. Representatives from the global DROPS Group were invited to Qatar to help organise the event.
The DROPS forum was followed by a training session aimed at building critical supervisor competency for further dissemination across the companies involved.
"Dropped objects are one of the key safety risks in our worldwide drilling operations. We are pleased to host an event that gathers the drilling community in Qatar with a shared objective to improve safety performance in this area. Going forward, my expectation is that this forum will facilitate cooperation, and help resolve an issue that concerns us all. Together, we can make a bigger difference," said Olav Skar, Drilling Manager at Qatar Shell.
© The Peninsula 2011
