Oman oil company’s regasification investment in Chile recognised as one of the country’s safest working environments

GNL Quintero SA (GNLQ), has been awarded the ‘Safety and Health Management at Work Award’ in the medium-business category at the Tucapel González García Awards 2014. GNLQ, of which Oman Oil Company (OOC) owns a 19.6% stake, operates South America’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) regasification terminal with a throughput capacity of 2.5 Mtpa, equating to an exported natural gas rate of 10M m3/day.

The official awards ceremony took place at the same day for the World Day for Safety and Health at Work. The judging panel cited the significant impact on raising health and safety standards in the workplace. In addition, GNLQ’s ‘Behavioural Observation Programme’ and effects of the series of accident prevention actions on the families of their workers and the local community near its facilities in Quintero Bay have also been considered.

“We at OOC strive to uplift the best practices in terms of health, safety, security and environment (HSSE) in our investments and seek to adapt those practices within our existing and future local investments. OOC is committed to developing and improving systematic management mechanisms across all operations and the standards of HSSE constitute a significant part of this commitment. We strive to build a culture of sustainability and excellence in safety across all our group of companies and we will continue to look at ways to strengthen safety awareness and operate responsibly for the welfare of our people,” said Mulham Al Jarf, Deputy CEO of OOC.

The jury formed of the Chilean Superintendent of Social Security, Undersecretary of Social Security, and representatives from the Labour Ministry, National Workers Union, Industry Trade Association and International Workers Organisation carefully evaluated the candidates in order to select ‘the best of the best’ in each category. A number of parameters were considered in judging, including employee involvement and environmental awareness, Lost Time Injury (LTI) free runs, as well as on site safety, health and welfare conditions.

For the past nine years, the awards have recognised businesses and institutions that deliver robust occupational risk prevention policies and improve the working environment for their employees and the community. All companies in Chile are required to register with the Institute of Work Safety and the Mutuales de Seguridad, a private non-profit organisation committed to promoting accident prevention. In order to qualify for the award, candidates must apply directly to the organisation and highlight how their health and safety measures have contributed to an increase in work safety and the quality of life for workers.

With a record of zero accidents in five years of operations of the terminal and more than two million man hours without LTI, GNLQ has also won the 2014 Valparaiso Industrial Association ASIVA in the categories of Safety and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).