Hana had just been promoted as the Group HSSE & Competency Manager in a leading petrochemical company. Her organization managed six operating units, each with unique challenges—refining, utilities, tank farms, olefins, logistics, and power generation.
But there was one common issue she quickly identified:
👉 Competency gaps across supervisors, engineers, and managers.
Accident investigations showed that while equipment failures were rare, human factors and competency gaps often contributed to incidents¹. Hana knew something had to change.
Step 1: Listening to the Ground
Hana spent her first 90 days visiting all six units.
- She joined shift handovers with supervisors.
- She sat in control rooms with engineers.
- She joined management review meetings with plant managers.
From these conversations, she mapped out a picture:
- Supervisors needed stronger frontline leadership and safety practices.
- Engineers needed deeper technical exposure and process safety skills.
- Managers needed strategic HSSE leadership and risk governance skills².
Step 2: Designing the Framework
Hana didn’t want a generic training. She designed a tiered competency framework:
- Supervisors – Focus on process safety fundamentals, permit-to-work, emergency response, and behavioral leadership in the field.
- Engineers – Build skills in HAZOP, MOC, asset integrity, human factors, and incident investigation³.
- Managers – Elevate leadership through barrier-based risk management, crisis command, stakeholder engagement, and continuous improvement⁴.
She ensured that the program aligned with global oil & gas best practices and included job rotations, simulations, mentorship, and cross-unit learning forums.
Step 3: Gaining Buy-in
Hana knew that a training program would only succeed if leaders supported it. She prepared a business case showing:
- Reduced incidents = reduced downtime.
- Higher competency = improved reliability.
- Stronger leadership = better culture and talent retention.
At the board presentation, she ended with one simple message:
“Competency is not just training—it is our license to operate safely.”
The executives approved the program immediately.
Step 4: Implementation & Impact
Within the first year:
- Supervisors reported greater confidence in handling permits and emergency drills.
- Engineers began leading HAZOP sessions and applying digital tools for asset reliability.
- Managers showed stronger leadership during a multi-unit emergency simulation exercise.
Most importantly, the company saw a 40% reduction in process safety near-misses⁵, proving Hana’s vision was working.
✨ The Legacy
Hana’s training program soon became a benchmark across the industry. Other companies visited her plants to learn about the model.
For Hana, this was more than just a corporate initiative. It was her way of ensuring that every worker went home safely each day, and that her company could grow with resilience and excellence in the oil & gas industry.
📚 Footnotes
- Vinodkumar, M. N., & Bhasi, M. (2010). Safety management practices and safety behaviour: Assessing the mediating role of safety knowledge and motivation. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 42(6), 2082–2093.
- Hale, A. R., & Borys, D. (2013). Working to rule, or working safely? Part 2: The management of safety rules and procedures. Safety Science, 55, 222–231.
- CCPS (Center for Chemical Process Safety). (2018). Guidelines for Risk Based Process Safety. Wiley.
- Sklet, S. (2006). Safety barriers: Definition, classification, and performance. Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, 19(5), 494–506.
- Khan, F. I., & Amyotte, P. R. (2003). How to make inherent safety practice a reality. The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering, 81(1), 2–16.
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