BP Sharjah achieves five years without days away from work

To mark the milestone achievement, Dr Mike Daly, president BP Middle East and Pakistan, presented a commemorative plaque to the recently appointed president and general manager of BP Sharjah, Abdulkarim Al Mazmi, who was formerly its Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) manager. The company also presented all its 200 employees and contractors in Sharjah with commemorative gifts.

"BP has a simple working motto, 'no accidents, no harm to people and no damage to the environment.' It is a philosophy the company adheres to in 100 countries all around the world, involving over 100,000 employees and an almost equal number of contractors," explained Al Mazmi.

To achieve its HSE goals BP encourages a culture of awareness backed up by regular training, risk assessment and reporting. Moreover managers at all levels are held accountable for ensuring goals are met. For a company that cares about its employees, no job is so important that it cannot be done safely, Al Mazmi maintains.

BP insists that all its contractors comply the same rigorous safety standards and works closely with them, its partners and the authorities to encourage a pervasive safety culture.

"As a global organisation BP has vast experience in managing health, safety and environmental issues. We are delighted to share these best practices with all our partners and colleagues around the world," said Al Mazmi.

He points out that any company can dramatically improve their safety records if they are willing to really commit to safe working practices as a business philosophy, as BP has demonstrated.

"Safety is not a 'cost' and it is a false economy to think of it as such. BP's experience has shown that it is a worthwhile investment. Good HSE results in less wastage, less downtime, less damage to plant and equipment, less time wasted managing accidents and less working days lost due to injuries. In the longer term it pays off financially as well as morally," Al Mazmi stated.