Qatar recognises the fundamental importance of process safety in protecting workers, environment, organisations and their assets from accidents, said the country’s Minister of Energy and Industry Dr Mohamed bin Saleh al-Sada has said at a recent event.
Al-Sada was speaking at the inauguration of the Qatar Process Safety Symposium, hosted by ConocoPhillips and Texas A&M University at Qatar in Doha.
“What is discussed during the symposium is not only relevant and important to the industry, but to the country. The Qatar Process Safety Symposium is vital to this mission because it facilitates collaboration between academia, industry, and institutions to deepen our collective knowledge of process safety. Its impact cannot be understated,” local newspaper Gulf Times quoted al-Sada as saying.
Top experts, decision makers, and industry practitioners gathered at the event as attendees engaged in substantive discussion on process safety, an issue of great importance not only to thousands who work in the oil and gas industry, but to the nationwide community in Qatar.
J Todd Creeger, president, ConocoPhillips Qatar said, “Human capital is our most valuable resource, and their safety is paramount in everything we do. Therefore, when it comes to process safety, ConocoPhillips and our partners in Qatar refuse to accept the notion of ‘good enough’”.
“Process safety is not achieved by accident – it requires vigilance, constant analysis, rigour, and commitment. Through the Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Center, named in memory of a devoted ConocoPhillips employee, and the Qatar Process Safety Symposium, we can advance our shared understanding of this essential subject,” Creeger was quoted by the newspaper as saying.
On the symposium’s first day, attendees gathered to discuss challenges in process safety management, cutting edge research, and new technologies relevant to the process safety field.
“The Qatar Process Safety Symposium builds human capacity — not only for current leaders in the oil and gas sector, but for the next generation as well,” said Dr Cesar O Malave, dean, Texas A&M. “Critical to the symposium’s lasting legacy is its educational value to our students, who will join the workforce with a deep understanding and knowledge of process safety principles.”
Texas A&M at Qatar students took an active role in the in-depth analysis of incident case studies at the event. Process safety is integrated in Texas A&M at Qatar’s curriculum via the MKOPSC-Qatar, which aims to promote safety as a second nature by educating students on best practice pertaining to procedures, processes, equipment, and management.
As a way to reaffirm their commitment to the event, representatives from both ConocoPhillips Qatar and Texas A&M at Qatar signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signalling their intention to organise a relevant and sustainable platform to discuss process safety, inclusive of representatives from across Qatar.
