Georgetown: With an eye on the safety and wellbeing of its employees, SBM Offshore observed its sixth annual Life Day event on Wednesday, June 12, 2019. Life Day, which is observed globally, was held in Guyana for the first time.
Life Day is an annual event for which SBM employees worldwide cease work to take the time to engage with the corporation’s Health, Safety, Security, and Environmental (HSSE) specialists as well as reconnect with the elements of its ongoing LIFE365 campaign.
SBM Offshore’s HSSE Director and the founder of Life Day, Mr. Erik Van Kuijk explained the significance of the event.
“The key focus of the program is to protect life. Very simple. But extremely important. Every second. Every day, 365 days a year… The global Life Day event supports the company wide engagement on our shared commitment to never compromise when it comes to protecting life,” he said.
The theme of this year’s event was ‘Choice’. Building on that theme, Country Manager for SBM Offshore’s Guyana Operations Mr. Herve Laurioux, encouraged employees to maintain a culture of safety.
“Life Day is an opportunity for us to share the HSSE culture and it is an opportunity for us as well to focus on what we do every day; the choice that we make from the morning, when we wake up until we go back to bed. We make the choice to ensure that we stay safe… We need to stay focused on our HSSE and ensure that we take all the necessary precautions to work safely and to protect all of our personnel, assets, and the environment,” Mr. Laurioux said.
SBM Offshore Managing Director of Operations, Mr. Oivind Tangen, visited Guyana to observe the company’s first Life Day event in the country. “Encouraging a culture of safety remains a top priority of SBM Offshore in every location in which we operate around the world. We are proud to be adding yet another location to this annual global observance and welcome Guyana to the SBM family,” he commented.
Life Day is part of the company’s ‘Life 365’ programme to increase awareness of health, safety, security and environmental issues across the SBM community, including partnering organizations. This is evident in ExxonMobil Guyana’s support of the day’s event.
Production Manager of ExxonMobil Guyana, Mr. Mike Ryan, expressed appreciation with the day, stating that it is beneficial for all stakeholders in the Oil and Gas industry. He said SBM Offshore and ExxonMobil Guyana share several core principles, including prioritizing employee safety.
Mr. Ryan stated, “We have a moral obligation to protect the people that come onto our worksites. Their families loan our team members to us, to come work with us, and we have to take that responsibility very seriously. Common fundamentals, objectives, and goals are extremely important: Nobody gets hurt and no business objective will be pursued at the sacrifice of safety are key examples.”
Every year, employees acquire new knowledge through the various workshops that comprise Life Day and share experiences, while learning from each other. Two workshops were held on situational awareness and plastic in the ocean at the Guyana Life Day event.
Celebrated in more than 40 locations worldwide, ‘Life Day’ offers a multidisciplinary approach to employee safety and wellness. The management of SBM Offshore considers the adoption and daily practice of safer work practices as the true measure of the programme’s success.
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