Gulf Safety Forum attracts unprecedented levels of support from diverse industries

Safety is of paramount importance for companies across all sectors as the smallest incident can lead to disastrous consequences. From Union Carbide’s Bhopal disaster in India in 1984, to the Macondo explosion and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, all these incidents had a clear impact on the industry resulting in tougher safety regulation. 

The Middle East region is no different, as regional governments have passed a raft of legislation aimed at making the safety of staff and the environment a top priority, where HSE standards are driven by Supreme Councils and a tiered approach is in place in the form of Federal and local laws. These Federal and local laws are further supported by Codes of Practice.

In this regard, The Gulf Safety Forum will take place in Doha in October under the Patronage of HE Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior of the State of Qatar. Organized by Euro Petroleum Consultants and the Gulf Organization for Industrial Consulting (GOIC), the high-level conference will bring together key industry players from across the region to discuss strategies for continuous improvement of safety procedures as well as share successful case studies and roadmaps towards achieving the goal of zero accidents. International safety experts and providers of safety tools and technologies will also present the latest methodologies which can assist companies to achieve these goals.

Representatives will gather from diverse industry sectors including oil, gas, petrochemicals, construction, manufacturing and transportation. Paul Stanley Williams, Health & Safety Senior Manager at Qatar Rail who will be presenting at the event said, “Qatar Rail is pleased to be taking part in the Gulf Safety Forum as we have a strong culture of collaboration which enables learning and sharing of positive health and safety practices”.

Franco Polli, of industry giant DuPont Sustainable Solutions added “we believe that the Gulf Safety Forum is a very well recognized and visible platform to share new points of view and stimulate the discussion around ways to improve safety.  Workplace safety remains a critical issue within the GCC, and we are pleased to contribute to the conversation about how to drive improvement”.

Colin Chapman, president of Euro Petroleum Consultants said “it is now widely recognized that as organizations develop on their safety journey, it is necessary to focus on plant safety, reliability and human behavior in order to achieve the target of zero accidents. A focus on safety is the number one priority for companies and both manufacturers and suppliers are developing innovative and effective solutions in these areas.”

“We are delighted to be holding this event under the patronage of HE Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior of the State of Qatar” said H.E. Mr. Abdulaziz bin Hamad Al-Ageel, Secretary General of the Gulf Organization for Industrial Consulting. GOIC Secretary General stated, “The Gulf Safety Forum provides a unique arena for key industry stakeholders to present their experiences and share front line developments for the benefit of all participants. The event is designed to share the very latest strategies for driving safety excellence with a blend of international and local expertise”. H.E. added “Safety is an essential and integrated part of the quality infrastructure in the industrial sector”. 

Keynote Speakers include world renowned process safety expert, Dr Sam Mannan, Regents Professor and Director of the Mary Kay O'Connor Process Safety Center at Texas A&M University, as well as Dr Laurence Cusco, Head of International Unit at the UK’s Health and Safety Laboratory. Other organizations who will be presenting at the event include Oryx GTL, Qatalum, Qafac, Kuwait Oil Company, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, AspenTech, Honeywell, PTAI and Dekra Insight.