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Environmental Issues | E&P Environmental Management

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Exploration and production operations involve a variety of relationships, from company and contractor partnerships, and joint ventures, to dealing with other stakeholders such as government and the public.

There is a need for a systematic approach to management of health, safety and environmental (HSE) issues.

General corporate management principles are:

  • Define corporate strategies and environmental objectives
  • Adopt health, safety environmental management system
  • Pursue technical cooperation and capacity building
  • Develop partnerships and communications
  • Initiate prevention and cleaner production techniques
  • Develop and maintain accident preparedness
  • Ensure proper assessment, evaluation and planning of projects
  • Training
  • Review and audit

Health and safety management planning must demonstrate that:

  • A systematic and structured approach to managing health and safety will be adopted;
  • Controls are in place to reduce risks to as low as reasonably practical
  • Staff are adequately trained;
  • Equipment is maintained in a safe condition.

A Permit to Work (PTW) system must be developed.

The PTW will ensure that all potentially hazardous work is carried out safely and ensures effective authorization of designated work, effective communication of the work to be carried out including hazards involved, and safe isolation procedures to be followed before commencing work.

Design and operation measures to manage principal risks to occupational health and safety are provided in the Company General HSE Guidelines.

Commitment to and demonstration of continual improvement in performance is vital in ensuring that management is effective and maintained.

Monitoring and auditing show how well an operation performs and provide a measure of effectiveness.

It is also important to consider how the HSE management system applies with respect to contractors, suppliers and consultants.

In an industry where much of the service and field— work is carried out by non—company personnel,  it is important to ensure effective communication, monitoring, auditing and reporting links with the suppliers of services.

Surveillance of operations is not the only mechanism to be considered and the criteria for choosing suppliers, checking of  their own environmental record and of their own internal management systems, and incorporation of their activities in company reports are important considerations if the total management system is to function.

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Environmental management in oil and gas exploration and production, UNEP Technical Publication
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