Health, safety passport launched

Everyone engaged in the oil and gas industry needs the safety and health training in order to compete favourably. PHOTO BY RACHEL MABALA

Technical know-how and brilliant business acumen will no longer be enough for you to clinch a deal in the oil and gas industry, health and safety experts have said.
According to the safety expert, Mr William Mukasa, an industry that pays attention to safety details of its employees to a point that it becomes part of the organisation culture will be the one that will stand the test of time long after many have crippled.
And oil and gas players seem to be aware of this secret, explaining why they insist on health and safety assurance before entering a contract with a local company no matter how technically competent and experienced the firm is.
To tackle the problem, which has seen several local companies grapple while securing a deal with oil multinational companies, Quest Energy formulated a health and safety training curriculum that deals with not just oil and gas industry safety issues but addresses all safety related challenges across the economic sector.
Speaking during launch of the East African Occupational Health and Safety Security Passport (OHSSE) recently, the Minister of State for Industry, Mr James Mutende, said the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperative supports the training that will boost the capacity of local firms in terms of proper management of safety at work places.
He added: “We want people who are engaged or hoping to be part of the oil and gas industry to have that training so that they are able to compete.”
The chief executive officer of Quest Energy, Mr Patrick Ruharuza, the brain child behind the training, said the health and safety passport they issue is according to global standards, meaning it is recognised worldwide.
He said the training extensively covers all possible safety precautions and challenges that the industry grapples with including individual challenges.
“Many companies have failed to clinch deals with oil companies because they do not have requirements—health and safety passport. With the training that we have designed this will not be a problem anymore,” Mr Ruharuza said.
The head of health and safety department, Transtrac, Mr Kenneth Obigaba, said as a result of its compliance in health and safety, its business is not only booming but the staff confidence is much higher.