8th Annual HSE Forum in Energy in Doha next month aims spotlight on HSE best practice and operational excellence

Doha, Qatar, 25 September, 2012: Oil and gas companies in the Gulf region need to implement proper fall protection programmes within their operations, potentially saving millions of dollars in the process, according to a workplace safety expert.

Thomas Kramer, President of the International Society of Fall Protection said that in hazardous workplace environments such as the energy sector, fall protection programmes are vital to protect workers, adding that fall related deaths are the leading cause of workplace fatalities globally.

"Fall protection programmes are important for all industry sectors including energy, since fatalities due to a lack or misuse of fall protection are a leading cause of deaths around the world," said Kramer. "By adhering to an effective fall protection programme, work can be performed in a safer manner overall."

Kramer is a headline speaker at next month's 8th Annual HSE Forum in Energy, taking place from 8-10 October at the Doha Grand Hyatt Hotel, where he will deliver case studies highlighting the benefits of implementing fall protection programmes during the design phase of onshore and offshore oil platforms.

He added: "For a recent offshore oil platform in the deep water off the Gulf of Mexico, we identified and abated fall hazards while the hull and topside were being designed.  This allowed the organisation to increase safety and achieve significant cost savings, compared to protecting workers from the hazard while the unit was in production or operation.

"For example, one specific hazard that we corrected saved the organisation millions of dollars by providing a permanent means to protect employees, rather than having a scaffolding contractor install a temporary means. This solution more than paid for the cost of the consulting, which addressed hundreds of hazards."

While figures of fall related accidents in the Gulf energy sector are not readily available, fall related injuries in hazardous workplace environments constitute a considerable financial burden. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), workers' compensation and medical costs associated with occupational fall incidents are estimated at US$70 billion annually in the USA.

Kramer reiterated that Return On Investment (ROI) of implementing proven fall protection programmes is significantly higher when applied early on in a projects design phase.

"The ROI for energy companies after implementing fall protection programmes depends on when a fall hazard is abated," added Kramer.  "For organisations that prevent the hazards in the design stage of a project, we have found that the ROI can be 100% and much more, compared to providing a compliant solution after the process or facility is up and running."

Held under the patronage of H.E. Dr. Mohammed Bin Saleh Al-Sada, Minister of Energy & Industry and Chairman of Qatar Petroleum, the 8th Annual HSE Forum in Energy will host more than 45 regional and international HSE experts to discuss HSE best practice and operational excellence.

The two-day conference and exhibition in Doha will feature 30 presentations, two panel discussions and five hours of networking sessions, before culminating with four half-day post conference workshops on the final day, highlighting the latest technological solutions essential to ensuring the effective health and safety management and sustainable environmental practices in the energy sector.

Headline speakers joining Kramer include Saif Al Naimi, Director of HSE Regulations & Enforcement Directorate, Qatar Petroleum, Dr. Nigel Shanks, Medical Services Manager, RasGas, Aud Nistov, Technical Director of HSE, OLF, and Pieter Loedolff, Upstream BBS Consultant, Saudi Aramco.

The 8th Annual HSE Forum in Energy is supported by Qatar Petroleum, and organised by Fleming Gulf.  Gold Sponsors include Dolphin Energy and Industrial Scientific, while ChemSafe, Petrotechnics, Ras Laffan Industrial City, and SHEields are on board as Silver Sponsors.

For more information about HSE Forum in Energy, or to be involved as an exhibitor, sponsor, or delegate, go to www.hse-me.com or call: +971 4 609 1588.

For further press information please contact:
Lindsay Johnston / Gareth Wright
Total Communications
Tel: +971 4 336 9909
Mob: +97150 273 3832
Email: lindsay@totalcompr.ae / gareth@totalcompr.ae

© Press Release 2012