Techbits: First Continentwide Latin American HSE Workshop Held

Abstract

SPE and the Brazilian Petroleum, Gas and Biofuels Institute (IBP) held the industry's first continent wide Latin American Workshop for Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) in Exploration and Production (E&P) 23–24 August in Rio de Janeiro. The workshop drew some 170 professionals, which exceeded expectations. Participants came from 14 countries, including France, Malaysia, Russia, and the United Kingdom. Designed to promote the exchange of knowledge and ideas, especially HSE best practices, the workshop focused on a broad array of topics:Effective HSE managementThe impact of human behavior in safety and on the environmentBest safety practices in the real worldHealth issues in E&PManaging and monitoring environmental resourcesOil-spill response plansE&P in sensitive areasClimate change The tension between society's increasing demand for energy and its need and desire to reduce emissions was the theme of the workshop's first plenary session. Guilherme Estrella, director of E&P for Petrobras and president of the Administration Council of IBP, was session chairperson, and speakers included Beatriz Nassur Espinosa, Petrobras; Emmanuel Garland, Total; and José Félix García, Regional Association of Oil and Natural Gas Companies in Latin America and the Caribbean (Arpel). Estrella noted the societal pressure on oil companies to change paradigms and the evidence of some shift in direction already seen as oil companies transform into energy companies. Themes covered by the speakers included the necessity of fulfilling the requirements of the next generation without neglecting the present one, the comprehensive need for effective HSE performance throughout the production chain, the importance of proactive alignment with society on biodiversity and ecosystem sustainability, and the value of strategic planning in the HSE sphere as a means of enhancing the sustainability of the E&P segment. A second plenary session dealt with global warming, focusing on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports and the coming challenges for the oil industry. Luiz Igrejas, Petrobras, chaired the session, and the speakers were Garland; Suzana Kahn, State Government of Rio de Janeiro; and Philip Hauser, Ecosecurities. Discussion encompassed the IPCC commitment to effect major change and also dealt with the technological and commercial responses under way in the attempt to meet this need for change, including various CO2 technologies and the development of a trading market for capped carbon emissions. All agreed that work has a long way to go simply to meet existing targets. A panel session on effective HSE management systems was chaired by Don Salmond, Battelle Memorial Institute, and featured as panel lists Juan Ramon Candia, Fundación Chile; Hubmaier Andrade, El Paso-Brazil; and Tatiana Botelho, consultant. Session proceedings focused on the importance of management systems as essential tools for identifying and managing risk. Management systems and risk mapping are now considered fundamental inputs to company decision making.