Nominations start for OPITO Awards 2014

Employers and training providers working to achieve the highest safety standards in the oil and gas industry are being invited to submit their nominations for the fifth annual OPITO Safety and Competency Awards 2014.

The accolades will be presented at the OPITO Safety and Competency Conference (OSCC) held at the Fairmont Bab Al Bahr Hotel, Abu Dhabi, UAE on Tuesday 4 November 2014.

These awards recognise companies that are committed to building a safe and competent workforce through OPITO standards.

Any oil and gas company can enter the Employers Award if it can demonstrate how it has improved safety and is delivering a competent workforce. Criteria to be judged will include the rationale for adopting OPITO standards, the number of staff trained or assessed to those standards in the past 12 months, geographical location and examples where the standards have shown a tangible improvement in safety and competence.

The Approved Training Providers Award recognises the training provider which best demonstrates its commitment to developing the skills of its staff to deliver OPITO training. Criteria examines the range of standards used in the development programme, the number of staff involved over the year, structure and timeframe of the development programme and examples of innovation in learning and development.

Nominations must arrive no later than Friday 22 August 2014, OPITO said in a news release.

In 2013, SBM took the Employer of the Year award with MSTS/Falck Safety Services Malaysia winning the Training Provider of the Year accolade. The announcement was made in the presence of Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei, the Minister of Energy for the United Arad Emirates and more than 350 delegates from 25 countries.

The awards will take place at the one day conference, which this year has the theme of ‘Leading from the front-line’ and will explore the dynamic of effective leadership and change management on human behaviours in relation to safety. Over 400 delegates and 25 exhibitors are expected at the event.

Speakers confirmed for 2014 are the army officer and commentator on conflicts; Bob Stewart, inspirational mountaineer; Karen Darke and globally recognised motivational speaker, Peter Cohen.

OSCC is the only global event focused on safety and competency in the oil and gas industry. The event was introduced to bring operators, contractors and the supply chain together with training organisations to provide a forum for improving standards of safety and competency that protect the workforce and the industry’s reputation.