OPITO announces speaker line-up for Abu Dhabi event

07 November 2011

An impressive line-up of leading oil and gas industry figures will take to the podium for skills and training standards body OPITO’s second annual Safety and Competency Conference in Abu Dhabi on 22 November 2011.

David Doig OPITO

OSCC 2011 will focus on the theme of Competence vs Compliance – addressing how the industry ensures a competent workforce that significantly improves safety rather than ticks the necessary boxes.
Supported by Atlas, ADC and Nabors Drilling, the conference will cover a wide range of topics and provides a forum for improving standards of safety and competency in the global workplace.
It will be opened by Gordon Ballard, UK chairman of Schlumberger, before Lord Cullen, author of the Cullen Report into the Piper Alpha tragedy, delivers the keynote address on the view of the inquirer into major incidents.
The line-up also includes Kieron McFadyen, executive vice president S&E at Royal Dutch Shell Plc, who will present a paper entitled Goal Zero on the relentless leadership drive.
David Doig, OPITO Group chief executive said: “We set out to deliver a thought-provoking and stimulating conference which covers the key areas on which we need to concentrate in order to keep safety and competency at the forefront of global oil and gas operations.
“This year we have an array of high profile, experienced and passionate speakers whose expertise, knowledge and pragmatic approach will benefit all delegates from across the industry.”
In its drive to improve and align safety and competence standards in the global oil and gas industry OPITO International has commissioned Robert Gordon University (RGU) to research how companies are assuring their workforce is competent, rather than simply compliant.
The full research, entitled Tick Safety Not Boxes, is sponsored by Aberdeen Drilling Consultants and will be presented by Professor Rita Marcella, Dean of Aberdeen Business School at RGU during OSCC 2011.
The conference will close with the presentation of the OPITO Safety and Competency Awards.