HSE International ISSUE 106 | Page 26

OIL & GAS : A & P GROUP
“ Originally a naval architect , I bring a pragmatic approach to safety , as it is imperative that we protect our workforce and comply with legislation while also ensuring we are as productive and efficient as possible .”
PIA ELLIOTT , HSEQ MANAGER
PIA ELLIOTT , HSEQ MANAGER
“ I am the Health , Safety and Environment Manager for the Tyne and Tees yards . In Tees , I also have additional responsibility for Quality Standards . The Tyne yard has a dedicated quality manager to oversee the high volume of fabrication work and the quality standards of ship repair .
“ I manage a team of four , with two HSE officers at each site to ensure a safe system of work and full compliance with a large legal register spanning safety of personnel , materials handling , working at height and more .
“ Originally a naval architect , I bring a pragmatic approach to safety , as it is imperative that we protect our workforce and comply with legislation while also ensuring we are as productive and efficient as possible .
“ Part of my role is to ensure we meet all of our statutory obligations and that , where necessary , we also meet client ’ s ( often sector specific ) requirements in relation to standards . For clients , in the oil and gas industry in particular , we have been asked to provide additional permits to meet their own specific standards and to run parallel with their own specific permit systems . In these cases , we will always comply fully with their wishes and are happy to put additional checks , permits and inspections in place for very specific and high-risk activities .
“ My relevant industry training includes a NEBOSH General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety . I have extensive experience working with Odense Steel Shipyard in Denmark and Burmeister and Wain Shipyard in Copenhagen . I have also worked as a ship surveyor with LR and the Danish Maritime Authority . I am A & P Group ’ s lead internal auditor for health , environment , quality and safety .”
HEALTH & SAFETY BEHAVIOURS
A & P Group considers the health and safety of its employees , business partners and neighbours as central to operations and critical to its success . Pia continues : “ Health and safety is , as you would expect , at the heart of A & P Group and nothing is more important than the wellbeing of our employees . All of our employees are responsible for HSEQ and are provided with appropriate information , instruction , training and supervision to enable them to work safely and efficiently .
“ We have recently started a new programme of behavioural safety seminars designed to help our team continue to meet our exacting standards . These also provide an opportunity to reiterate that every small action can have a very serious consequence and that health and safety compliance underpins our business .
“ These seminars are open to A & P personnel and on-site contractors and we have started with management level staff first . This will be rolled-out across the whole workforce , which is some 100 people in Tees and a further 150 in Tyne , as well as our team in Falmouth , along with additional environmental awareness training .
“ In my experience , systems on their own do not save lives or remove risk . Success stems from continual coaching and education , which is why seminars , training and refresher sessions are a frequent part of A & P Group ’ s daily operations .”
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & WELLBEING
“ Our focus on and commitment to health and wellbeing is continuous . We are always running awareness campaigns on issues such as hearing protection and vibration control to ensure that our team remains safe at all times . Our regular Toolbox Talks go some way to address this and these sessions are backed up with toolbox sheets designed to inform and remind staff of safe working practices . We also carry out an annual occupational health surveillance study of employees across the Group to assess and benchmark our ongoing performance .” �
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HSE INTERNATIONAL