Health & Safety Practices and initiatives

Safety is a foremost priority in all operations carried out by HOEC. The company has a “Stop Work Program”, and has authorized all employees and contractors to stop work in any situation that is considered unsafe, so as to ensure zero tolerance towards a hazardous working environment. Comprehensive internal site audits are performed before and during major operational activities, such as drilling and production.

The health and safety records of all service providers and contractors are assessed and monitored, to ensure that their goals align with those of HOEC. An extensive review of all facilities is carried out to ensure that all machinery and equipment are functioning in accordance with industry standards. All operating personnel are held accountable to maintain a healthy and safe working environment on site, and are engaged in monthly mock safety drills to ensure that they remain aware and vigilant while carrying out operational activities. Extensive training programs are also hosted periodically to familiarize all new and existing recruits with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Lost-time injury rate (LTIR) and all near-miss incidents related to operational activity are tracked on a regular basis.

Oil Spill Contingency Plan (OSCP)

An Oil Spill Contingency Plan (OSCP) has been devised as per the guidelines on Contingency Planning provided by the National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan (NOS DCP) of the Indian Coast Guard, Oil Industry Safety Directorate (OISD), Ministry of Petroleum, International Maritime Organization (IMO), and International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association (IPIECA).

In addition, good practices on Oil Spill Contingency Planning from the European Union Series, and shoreline cleanup from the United States Coast Guard (USCG) guidelines have also been adopted. Different scenarios are visualized to enable operating personnel to respond effectively to any accidental oil spill from operational activities. These include removal of floating oil from adjoining sea, preventing spilled oil from reaching the coastline, protecting environmentally sensitive areas, and coastline clean up response if the spill reaches ashore. Prevention of oil spillage is HOEC’s first priority. Offshore production and drilling facilities have been designed, installed and are being operated in a way, so as to minimize the possibility of oil spills. Facilities, resources and support provided by third parties are also of paramount importance to meet national and international pollution prevention design and operation standards. To ensure efficiency of response, a tiered approach is adopted by HOEC management in line with NOS DCP and OISD guidelines. This plan takes into account the response time needed to mobilize, transport and deploy increasing amounts of resources to the scene of a spill depending upon its size.

Safety and Environmental Awareness

A mandatory monthly health awareness training program, and safety and environmental awareness training on different topics are administered internally on site. SOPs and training programs for accident prevention, personal protective equipment and workplace hazards are also in place.

For those involved in offshore operations, Personal Survival Training (PST) is necessary. First-aid training, sea-survival training and firefighting training are mandatory for all employees operating at site level.

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