Shell Companies in Nigeria set safety record

This means that staff and contractors of The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd (SPDC), Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) and Shell Nigeria Gas (SNG) worked between December 2012 and September 2013 without any injury requiring time off work. The record translates to 78 million hours worked by a total of 31,973 people without any significant injury.

Pearl GTL achieved 77 million LTI-free working hours during the construction phase in 2010. At its peak, it brought together 52,000 workers from 60 different countries, which required a major, co-ordinated safety effort.

“This is a truly remarkable achievement, more so when we consider our challenging operating environment,” said Markus Droll, Vice President Nigeria & Gabon. “Many have contributed to this, and it feels good to demonstrate safety performance which shows what can be done when everybody is focused on the same goal.”

A good example of focussed delivery is SPDC’s SODA projects, which were recently recognised with the Shell Chief Executive Officer’s Health Safety, Security, Environment (HSSE) & Social Performance (SP) Award for “demonstrating visible HSSE commitment and leadership.” SODA is an acronym for a portfolio of projects covering the Southern Swamp Associated Gas Solution (SSAGS) Project, the Forcados-Yokri Integrated Project (FYIP), the Associated Gas Solutions-1 Projects, and a number of domestic gas supply projects. The safety record in Shell Nigeria also resulted from hundreds of other activities including pipeline repair following sabotage, operating 60 flowstations, or shooting several thousand square kilometres of seismic in difficult swamp locations in the Niger Delta.

The record has been inspired by the mapping out of clear rules and strict implementation, including HSE inductions for staff and contractors, Toolbox Talks, contractor safety training and project training school, leadership site visits, safety stand-downs to address specific issues, and annual contractor CEO safety workshops.

Upstream International Director, Andy Brown who oversaw the Pearl GTL project in his former role as Executive Vice President, Qatar, said: “Nigeria is showing us all how dedication and commitment can lead to a safer working environment and yet another landmark moment for Shell and our journey towards Goal Zero. Very well done to everyone involved!”