Australia’s oil and gas industry has launched a new safety training program initially targeting all new employees working on offshore drilling and production sites.
Speaking at the formal launch, the chairman of the Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association (APPEA), Eric Streitberg, said the Common Safety Training Program (CSTP) is a significant step forward for the oil and gas industry and heralds an entirely new and rigorous approach to entry level safety training.
The CSTP requires all new workers to complete industry approved training and demonstrate critical safety behaviours in their workplace to earn a ‘Common Safety Training Card’.
“The timing of this initiative is vital for the oil and gas sector as we anticipate over 20,000 new employees joining our industry over the next few years, many for the first time,” said Streitberg.
“Whilst this is an exciting period of growth for oil and gas projects across Australia, with many new jobs being created, it will also bring its challenges. Delivering on safety and ensuring everyone demonstrates the high safety performance essential to our industry will be critical.”
The APPEA CEO Safety Leadership Group, comprising over 80 CEOs across the Australian oil and gas industry, committed to this major industry wide safety initiative to address the anticipated growth in first time workers as part of the industry’s goal to become a global safety leader.