APPEA: O&G Industry Standing Together for Safety (Australia)

Aiming to further improve its safety performance, the Australian oil and gas industry has begun its third annual Stand Together for Safety event.

Teams will stop work for two hours on a designated day in May to have a structured discussion about how safety can be improved in their workplace.

The event facilitates discussions on safety between executives, senior managers and frontline workers. Industry-wide collaboration on this event aims to send a clear message to everyone that safety comes first and is not a competitive issue, and that success in safety relies on all staff – managers, supervisors, employees and contractors – working together.

This campaign is organised by peak industry body, the Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association (APPEA). Stand Together for Safety is held annually across the Australian oil and gas industry, contributing to improved and sustained safety performance. The 2011 theme is From the Boardroom to the Frontline – emphasising the key message that safety is everyone’s responsibility.

The official start date for 2011 is Monday 2 May, and companies are encouraged to focus their activities around this date (or the first week in May) where possible. But Stand Together for Safety runs throughout May so that companies can rotate through their crew shifts, ensuring that all workers can be involved.

In 2010, the Australian oil and gas industry recorded its lowest-ever lost-time injury frequency rate, posting a 23 per cent improvement from 2009. This makes the sector one of the best safety performers in Australia.

Ongoing improvements in the industry’s safety performance are largely driven by strong leadership and safety cultures in which everyone has their eyes firmly on safety at all times. Programs such as Stand Together for Safety are a critical part of creating this safety culture, according to APPEA Chief Executive Belinda Robinson.

“The industry’s safety performance is already strong but there is no room for complacency in a high hazard industry such as ours,” Ms Robinson said. “We must continually seek to identify warning signals and seek opportunities for improvement. The only acceptable injury rate is zero.”

In 2010, more than 22,000 workers across the industry participated in Stand Together for Safety. In 2011 participation is expected to be even higher.

APPEA has developed various resources, including posters and industry presentation templates that can be easily modified to suit individual companies’ needs.

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Source: APPEA, May 2, 2011;