In The Spotlight
Each year, nearly three million people lose their lives due to work-related accidents or illnesses, with industrial and manufacturing plants posing significant risks from chemicals, explosives, and heavy machinery.
To address these hazards and enhance safety protocols, companies are increasingly adopting Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) software as a key tool to reduce workplace incidents.
According to global technology intelligence firm ABI Research, the EHS software market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 6.7% over the next decade, reaching US$2.2bn by 2034.
“Safety is an integral part of companies' Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) reporting, and it’s become a board-level priority. Businesses must demonstrate improvements in safety metrics, which can foster a stronger safety culture throughout the organisation. However, many industrial and manufacturing sites still rely on outdated paper-based data collection. EHS software allows companies to collect data, analyse it to establish a baseline, and track progress with visualisation tools,” said Michael Larner, analyst at ABI Research.
Employees urged to be part of the conversation
The chemical industry was among the first sectors to recognise the importance of refining safety processes, given the severe consequences of mistakes. However, other sectors such as oil & gas (CAGR 7.0%) and mining (CAGR 7.1%) are beginning to invest heavily in EHS solutions.
“EHS software is no longer limited to safety professionals. With innovations like capturing images via mobile devices, annotating them, and logging potential risks, more employees are encouraged and empowered to take an active role in improving safety within their facilities,” Larner said.
Companies such as Alcumus, ComplianceQuest, Cority, Dakota Software, Enablon, Ideagen, Intelex, IsoMetrix, SafetyCulture, Secova, TenForce, and VelocityEHS are helping businesses digitise their safety protocols and improve overall safety practices.
These insights are part of ABI Research’s analysis report Ensuring Worker Safety with EHS Software. This report is included in the company's Industrial & Manufacturing Markets research service, which provides analysis, data, and expert insights into key market trends.
Seadrill, a global leader in oil and gas offshore drilling, is to equip its high-spec fleet of floating drilling vessels with Oil States' managed pressure drilling (MPD) technologies, in a new collaboration aimed at enhancing safety and efficiency while simplifying and standardising MPD systems in offshore operations
Oil States’ field-proven MPD Integrated Riser Joint (IRJ) improves the safe handling of gas influx while significantly reducing nonproductive (NPT) time typically encountered with deepwater MPD operations, and is specifically designed to enhance MPD operational efficiency. This riser joint is more compact, allowing for safer and easier handling with greater functionality, which enables the rig to remain over the well while testing the retrievable seals within the joint. All features of the IRJ can be function and pressure tested while on deck. The IRJ is equipped with twin retrievable annular seals, a passive rotating control device (RCD) bearing assembly and hard-faced bore that eliminates the need for a wear sleeve. Together, these advances reduce NPT and unnecessary trips while promoting longer bearing and seal life. This contributes to seamless and streamlined MPD operations, supporting Seadrill’s MPD standardisation efforts while delivering safer, more efficient operations to their customers.
Cindy Taylor, Oil States president and CEO commented, “We look forward to a long-term relationship with Seadrill as we supply them with multiple MPD IRJs for their fleet of high-performance vessels. While supporting Seadrill’s adoption and integration of our MPD system, we endeavour to optimise our equipment to allow for oil and gas reserves to be unlocked safely and efficiently to meet growing global energy demands.”
Samir Ali, executive vice president, chief commercial officer, Seadrill commented, “This technology places Seadrill at the forefront of safe, cost-effective deepwater MPD services, offering our customers an unrivalled simplicity of MPD drilling while providing the highest levels of drilling efficiency and safety.”
The third session at HSE Oman Forum 2021 on 'E-HSE Next Revolution in Oman' engaged our audience with insights on Petroleum Development Oman's IHTIMAM system. Port of Salalah highlighted the use of digitized capture to enhance HSE systems and Esteshraf Foresight talked about the importance of setting realistic compliance targets.
PDO's Nadiya al-Harthy and Arabian Industries Projects' Porchelvan Nadanam discussed the implications of environmental regulations on projects and contractors, as well as the pressing need for tighter competency management
HSE Oman Forum's session on 'Risk Overview' hosted panellists from Oman Drydock Company (ODC), Oman Electricity Transmission Company and Petroleum Development Oman who discussed safety challenges, initiatives to ensure skilled human resources for lifting operations and the 12 Golden Rules (life saving) of ODC.
HSE Oman Forum's first session featured Yokogawa RAP Ltd's excellent insights on digital control of work presented by Mark Breese followed by an engaging panel discussing integration of HSE with business continuity, effective modes of communicating in training and PDO's best practices to achieve highest process safety standards.
The 6th edition of the HSE UAE Forum held on 6-7 April 2021 at Habtoor Grand Resort, Dubai was the first live HSE event in the region after the pandemic lockdown and it concluded to a great response.
We welcomed attendees over two days providing access to thought-provoking presentations, case studies and interactive panel discussions. It was the ideal live opportunity for knowledge sharing and networking at this strategic forum.
The forum served as a platform to realize the UAE’s efforts to prioritize workforce safety, sustainability and best practices post COVID-19 where attendees gained access to information on safety practices, latest technologies and solutions to optimise HSE function in the country.
The Department of Energy – Abu Dhabi (DoE) recently convened more than 130 key stakeholders from both government and private sectors to discuss safety, compliance, and the future of the petroleum products industry in light of forthcoming regulatory changes.
The workshop, held under the theme Petroleum Products Safety and Compliance, is part of an ongoing effort to ensure the sector adheres to the highest safety and compliance standards for the well-being of the public.
Dr Saif Saeed Al Qubaisi, Acting Director-General of Regulatory Affairs at DoE, stressed the importance of collaboration between both sectors in fostering growth while maintaining stringent safety protocols.
“Safety is a united effort; it is the collective responsibility of our entire sector,” Al Qubaisi said. “As a regulator, we work with both government and private sectors to create an environment conducive to growth, but never at the risk of safety. Safety is, and always will be, our number one priority.”
He also noted that voluntary compliance with safety standards offers multiple advantages, including safer communities, enhanced operational efficiency, cost savings, and a stronger sector reputation.
The upcoming regulatory changes, set to take effect in Q4, will impact all non-ADNOC petroleum products and gas-related activities in Abu Dhabi. The new rules will specifically focus on gas systems in buildings, as well as the manufacturing, trading, transportation, and storage of petroleum products.
The DoE has called on all sector participants to commit to the new regulations, ensuring the sector’s growth while keeping Abu Dhabi safe.
Italy’s Industrie De Nora, which specialies in sustainable electrochemical technologies and in the emerging green hydrogen industry, has been awarded a contract to supply electrochlorination units for Qatar’s North Field South (NFS) project
The contract to supply electrochlorination units for the onshore LNG facilities in Ras Laffan, was awarded by the T.EN CCC Joint Venture, led by Technip Energies (T.EN) in partnership with Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC), for QatarEnergy LNG. This is a continuation of the first phase, North Field East (NFE) Project, which was awarded in June 2021 and is now under construction. Together with the North Field West project, these projects form the North Field LNG expansion programme, the world’s largest LNG expansion project, which will raise Qatar’s LNG production capacity from 77 to 142 mtpa in 2030.
This contract will include two CECHLO-MS 326 units producing a high-strength, 12.5% sodium hypochlorite solution on site. Spread across two mega LNG generator trains, the units produce 294 kg of sodium hypochlorite per hour, equivalent to seven tons per day – enough to support LNG production capacity of 16 MTPA per train.
The new system will supplement the units awarded for North Field East (NFE) project in 2021, which included units spread across four mega LNG trains with a capacity of 8 MTPA each. Once completed later this year, these units will produce 11 tons per day of chlorine equivalent used to control biofouling as well as disinfect the formation of service water and firewater, and brine management from the desalination plant to the sea.
uvex has announced the launch of new safety eyewear and safety gloves, which it will be showcasing at the Health and Safety Event in Birmingham, UK from 30 April-2 May
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) conducted 61 training courses and awareness sessions on occupational health and safety in the first half of 2024.
These sessions saw the participation of 2,110 employees from various departments. This initiative is part of DEWA's ongoing efforts to enhance its employees' knowledge and skills in occupational health and safety.
Trainings throughout the year
“We are dedicated to effectively implementing quality, health, safety, and environmental management systems according to the highest international standards. We strive to cultivate a culture of occupational safety and health among all employees, enabling them to keep pace with the latest developments in this field. This is part of our responsibility towards our employees, customers, and the employees of suppliers and contractors who work on DEWA’s projects. Additionally, we are committed to providing our services according to the highest standards of quality, efficiency, availability, and reliability,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, CEO of DEWA.
“We offer the best training and awareness programmes to enhance the safe work environment and raise health and safety standards across all DEWA’s projects and operations. This contributes to achieving employees’ happiness and enhances productivity and quality,” said Dr. Yousef Al Akraf, executive vice president of business support and human resources at DEWA.
In addition to the training courses, DEWA organises many events and awareness activities throughout the year. These include Public Health and Safety Week, Internal Health and Safety Week, Contractor Health and Safety Awareness Day, and other activities and events aimed at improving the health and safety systems of human resources. Employees who complete the training provided by DEWA staff are awarded certificates in occupational health and safety.