Dr. Al-Sada Honours Winners of HSE Excellence Awards 2012

Doha, April 25 (QNA) - HE Dr. Mohammed bin Saleh Al-Sada, Minister of Energy and Industry and Chairman & Managing Director of Qatar Petroleum (QP), recognized a total of six companies from QPs joint ventures and contractors and three QP business units as winners of the Qatar Oil & Gas Industry HSE Excellence Awards during the awarding ceremony held here today. Initiated under the guidance of HE Dr. Al-Sada, the HSE Excellence Awards primarily aims to recognize outstanding health, safety and environment (HSE) programs being implemented in Qatars oil & gas industry and to promote continual improvement as well as the sharing of best practices in the field of HSE. Launched in 2010, the Qatar Oil & Gas Industry HSE Excellence Awards is being administered by QPs Corporate HSE Department. Under the program, oil & gas companies operating in the country are invited to submit their ongoing HSE programs and initiatives for consideration. An independent team of judges then evaluates all the submissions against a pre-established set of criteria. After establishing a short list, a second round of judging subsequently takes place in the form of an audiovisual presentation. In his keynote address at the awards ceremony, HE Dr. Al Sada said that safety, health and environmental protection are not just valuable attributes of our business, but "they are also an organizational commitment aligned with the holistic vision pursued by the government under the wise leadership of HH Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the Emir of the State of Qatar." He also said that "the National Development Strategy under the guidance of His Highness, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, the Heir Apparent, imparts the driving force for realising this vision." He called on all concerned to encourage the proactive engagement of all shareholders and stakeholders in the promotion of a deep-rooted safety culture and a safe working environment for all -- on location and beyond. "We must increase our efforts in implementing higher standards to ensure the safety and security of not just our employees but also those of all contractors, visitors, and the communities within which we live and operate. We have to commit all available resources to ensure that human life comes first," Dr. Al-Sada added. As unanimously selected by the panel of judges, the winners of the HSE Excellence Awards 2012 under the QP Joint Ventures Category are the following: RasGas Company Limited (Gold Award) for its "Going Beyond: Pacesetting" initiative: Qatargas Operating Company Ltd. (Silver Award) for its "Industry Leading Safety Performance" program; and Qatar Shell (Bronze Award) for its "Sustaining a World-Class Worker Welfare" program. For the QP Contractors Category, the winners are Japan Gas Corporation (Gold Award) for its "SHE&S Excellence and Innovation" program, Descon Engineering Qatar LLC (Silver Award) for its "HSE Our Passion" initiative; and Blackcat Engineering & Construction Company (Bronze Award) for its submission on "HSE Initiatives and Best Practices." In the QP Business Units Category, the Industrial Cities Directorate received the Gold Award for its "Ras Laffan Road Safety Program;" the Refinery Directorate received the Silver Award for its initiative on the "Utilization of Refining Spent Catalyst;" and Offshore Operations received the Bronze Award for its work on "Ecological Improvements of the Marine Environment." Dr. Al-Sada presented each of the winners with a trophy and a Certificate of HSE Excellence and he personally congratulated them on their achievements. He encouraged those who did not win an award this year to continue the hard work on improving their HSE initiatives and he also called on all the participants to learn from each other through the sharing of best practices. (QNA)