Development of a Security Process

Abstract

This article, written by Assistant Technology Editor Karen Bybee, contains highlights of paper SPE 108621, "Development of a Security Process To Meet the Requirements of Oil and Gas Companies in the Asia Pacific Region," by Matthew Quin, Chevron, originally prepared for the 2007 SPE Asia Pacific Health, Safety, Security, and Environment Conference and Exhibition, Bangkok, Thailand, 10-12 September. The paper has not been peer reviewed. Security risks are some of the most pressing risk-management concerns of oil and gas companies in the Asia Pacific region. There is a strong requirement to develop a standard process that allows oil and gas companies to both manage security risks and meet their business requirements in the various countries in which they operate. The process, once developed, needs to be integrated into all relevant aspects of the business. The security process should be developed as a core feature of the operations-management system, allowing all levels of the organization to understand how security management fits into the business structure. Introduction Because of our dependence on oil, energy security is one of the most important issues facing the world economy today. The most common image of energy security is that of meeting the increasing demand for energy by ensuring a constant supply to consuming nations. However, there is an aspect of energy security that looks at the threats to the energy supply, the protection of the energy- supply systems, and physical protection of the people and assets that make up those systems. This second aspect is very much the subject of attention of security professionals working within the oil industry. Security departments traditionally have not been seen as profit generators or business drivers and, therefore, have not justified the close attention of business managers and have not been well understood by them. It was the events of 9/11 that caused a major shift, when major oil companies with operations in the Asia Pacific region started to scrutinize more closely their security preparedness regarding the physical well-being of their personnel and assets. In a short period of time, security departments had to transform themselves from little-known entities into credible and accountable business units. Security departments of major oil companies working in the Asia Pacific region have had to adapt to best serve the interests of one of the security profession's most challenging industries. The Asia Pacific region has the fastest-growing power sector in the world and is likely to be a growth engine of the world's economy throughout this century. Energy sources in the Asia Pacific region are fast replacing the maturing fields in more traditional regions, making security of the energy sources in this region an important issue. An effective solution is to modernize the role of a security department within the organization by developing a business-related process that enables an oil company to integrate its security function with all relevant aspects of its business operations.