Overview: Health, Safety and Environment (July 2006)

Abstract

Health, safety, and environment (HSE) topics continue to be in the forefront of world news. Acquired immune deficiency syndrome and avian flu represent serious global health threats. The petroleum community faces other important, but less newsworthy, health issues like malaria and other tropical diseases, particularly as oil and gas are sought in increasingly remote areas. Safety remains an important concern. Companies worry about protecting their employees from natural disasters, such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and floods. Security issues, such as terrorist attacks and hijacking of facilities and personnel, are a constant consideration. The complex equipment needed to access oil and gas resources thousands of meters underground also can pose safety risks for personnel. The industry's strong reliance on extended-shift work schedules also contributes to safety and health concerns. The environmental area is highly contentious. Each day, the press expounds on global warming, carbon capture and storage, oil spills, and air and water pollution. Often, the oil and gas industry is implicated as a contributor to these problems. The public is definitely watching. Particularly in times of record oil-company profits, there is little sympathy for inadequate environmental protection from our industry. In April, professionals from many countries gathered in Abu Dhabi, UAE, for the Eighth SPE International Conference on Health, Safety, and Environment in Oil and Gas Exploration and Production. This is the foremost meeting for HSE issues within the industry. Most of the papers featured here, along with numerous other interesting papers, were presented at that meeting. It was a pleasure to review the many HSE papers presented at SPE meetings this year. Some described successful programs and activities, while others reported on new technologies or research. Much good HSE work is taking place throughout the industry. Judging by the affiliations of the authors of the featured papers, this good work is taking place in all parts of the world. Continued commitment and leadership in studying and solving HSE problems are necessary to sustain a viable global petroleum industry. Health, Safety, and Environment additional reading available at the SPE eLibrary: www.spe.org SPE 95343 "Treatment of Produced Water from Polymer-Flooding Process Using a New Type of Air-Sparged Hydrocyclone" by S. Liu, Shanghai Jiaotong U., et al. IPTC 10911 "How Clean Is Clean? Is It Still a Debate?" by E. Garland, SPE, Total E&P. SPE 98130 "Optimal Strategies for Dealing With Shift Work and Insomnia" by W.H. Kuo, SPE, Saudi Aramco Healthcare.