A workshop on Process Safety Fundamentals was held on May 22nd, 2023 for production, refining, transportation, distribution, projects, and maintenance companies in the petroleum sector at the Sky Hotel in the Fifth Settlement, sponsored by Kuwait Energy.

The workshop was held under the auspices of Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Tarek El Molla, and within the framework of his directives regarding the support and development of the process safety system in the sector companies.

The activities of the workshop included round table discussions with the participation of  companies representing all petroleum activities (Upstream-Midstream-Downstream), which dealt with ways to implement the “Process Safety Fundamentals” approved by the International Organization of Oil and Gas Producers (IOGP), which are 10 elements, as well as setting recommendations that ensure their full activation.

The activities of the day began with a welcome speech delivered by Wael Amin, Head of HSE at Kuwait Energy Egypt, the sponsor of the workshop. Amin highlighted the importance of commitment to applying the basics of process safety and the efforts of Kuwait Energy in this regard.

Meanwhile, a speech by Gamal Fathy, CEO Assistant for HSE, Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC), included the definition of the objectives of the workshop, which comes within the framework of the keenness of Minister of Petroleum towards the full activation of the process safety system in all subsidiaries, as well as after the approval of the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources of the standard guides that were prepared by the Process Safety Management Committee (PSM Committee) formed in the ministry.

Fathy also referred to the importance of investing in the skill development team for occupational safety and health (HSE Capacity building) in the ministry by assigning it to carry out several reviews on the sector companies to conduct a gap analysis and come up with the necessary recommendations to establish a process safety system in the companies. This could be achieved by implementing these recommendations on the ground in cooperation with EGPC and holding companies, with the aim of preventing major accidents in order to preserve lives, assets, and equipment.

The first part of the workshop activities included the implementation of three advanced scientific presentations on Process Safety Fundamentals; Operational safety barriers and serious accident risks; Recommendations and results that came out of the reviews that took place during the previous year by the Capacity Building Team for Operations Safety.

In the second part of the day’s activities, the representatives of the companies present were divided into two working groups in order to participate in a brainstorming session to identify the most important obstacles facing the implementation of process safety elements, as well as to develop the necessary recommendations to activate the basics of process safety fundamentals in the petroleum sector companies.