Texas A&M at Qatar co-hosts seventh Qatar Process Safety Symposium
Published Apr 20, 2016Texas A&M at Qatar and ConocoPhillips co-hosted the seventh annual Qatar Process Safety Symposium at The Hilton Hotel from 18–19 April, 2016.
The two-day event, entitled “Building Competency in Process Safety” addressed important topics which include process safety management, hazardous phenomena, consequence analysis and risk assessment. As well as providing safety experts in Qatar with excellent networking opportunities, the Qatar Process Safety Symposium (QPSS) has also expanded this year to include an exhibition for the industry to showcase products and services relevant to process safety in the oil and gas sector.
Dr. Eyad Masad, vice dean of Texas A&M at Qatar commented, “The Qatar Process Safety Symposium grows each year and we believe it has become an influential gathering of experts and practitioners because it addresses and directly affects real-world challenges and has a positive impact on a vibrant and evolving field. As Qatar has grown, so have it industries and so has its responsibility. A culture of safety is a fundamental tool that has significant impact on operations and is essential at all levels of an institution. Since the launch of the Mary K. O’Connor Process Safety Center – Qatar extension in 2013, we have worked to educate a new generation of engineers and practitioners with a commitment to safety. This center now includes 10 companies and they add diverse, experienced and invaluable contributions to the voice of process safety in Qatar.
Dr. Sam Mannan, executive director of Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Center (MKOPSC), also commented on the event, ““The Qatar Process Safety Symposium has become a must-attend event in process safety in this region. It has also become the crossroads for process safety professionals from all walks of academia, government and industry.”
Dr. Luc Vechot, assistant professor of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M at Qatar and managing director of the Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Center – Qatar also said, “We, at MKOPSC Qatar,are very proud of the QPSS. The event has successfully been organized every year since 2010, and is playing a key role in providing a forum where academia, industry and public institution discuss and progress process safety issues of high relevance to the State of Qatar and the Middle East region. Our partnership with ConocoPhillips in organizing QPSS has contributed to build competency in process safety at home, in Doha.”
This year’s edition of the Qatar Process Safety Symposium has been received with outstanding interest and has attracted more participants than any previous year. More than 250 attendees from 37 registered companies from Qatar and abroad and features 30 speakers presenting a range of topics focused on building competencies in process safety. This is testament to Qatar’s commitment to safety as represented by its major oil and gas players; Qatar Petroleum and Qatar Gas.
Gary Sykes, president of ConocoPhillips Qatar, said, “We are honored to co-host the 7th annual QPSS for the 5th time with longtime partner Texas A&M at Qatar. Supporting symposiums like this which provide a forum to share collective approaches within our industry enables us to draw on our global expertise and support the Qatar National Vision 2030. Process safety is an essential tool for improving an overall safety culture and because of its importance QPSS is growing year on year. As well as a platform for debate, we are delighted to include an exhibition within its format this year which we believe will add more value to all those attending.
Michael Hatfield, vice president, health, safety and environment, ConocoPhillips gave a keynote speech on Managing Process Safety Competency which explored why process safety competency is important, why it is critical in the current economic environment, and what ConocoPhillips is doing to drive process safety awareness and to build global competency.
Hatfield spoke about the importance of this subject, “It was a great pleasure to address my industry peers at QPSS. A competent workforce is fundamental to creating a safe working environment. The complexity of engineering and operations in the oil and gas industry requires that people have the knowledge, skill and behaviors to understand the risks and safely perform their jobs. Competency should be viewed as a larger demonstration that risks are understood and controlled, and the barriers that we have in place are maintained. Building competency in the organization invests in people which are the most valuable asset we have.”
Dr. Paul Amyotte, (Professor of Chemical Engineering and C.D. Howe Chair in Process Safety Dalhousie University (Canada) and Editor of the Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries) also gave a keynote speech on “Process Safety Concepts for the Prevention of Major Accidents”
Nisa Ulumuddin, Master student in Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M at Qatar and Research Assistant at MKOPSC-Qatar) received the QPSS Process Safety Excellence Student Award. The award aims to recognize individuals who have made a significant contribution to Process Safety in Qatar or internationally.
“In our on-going commitment to safety, ConocoPhillips introduced eight life-saving rules worldwide. The ConocoPhillips Qatar Business Unit also recently achieved nine years of ZERO recordable injuries, incidents and illness. This record, dating back to the establishment of our office in Doha, is a significant milestone accomplishment. We have achieved this by applying and constantly strengthening peoples’ knowledge of safety and awareness. It is out of this commitment to safety that we are proud to support QPSS and welcome this year’s delegates to the seventh edition. Together, we look forward to continuing to influence development and innovation and developing sustainable models surrounding this essential subject” concluded Sykes.