Shahram Ahmadi said Wednesday, at the third Process Safety Management Conference that about half of the oil industry’s incidents over the past four years have been related to process events. He thanked HSE colleagues across the industry for their round-the-clock efforts.

He said the consequences of process incidents cannot be accurately predicted, adding that nearly 70% of such incidents in the oil industry have occurred in equipment and maintenance layers.

Reducing Losses Through Process Safety Management

Ahmadi emphasized again that process safety management is the industry’s top strategy for ensuring stable production and minimizing losses. He said the roadmap for implementing the system is being pursued in three areas: policymaking, implementation, and oversight and evaluation.

He noted that the Ministry of Oil issued process safety management implementation guidelines in 2023, and 116 companies across the industry are required to adopt the system. Nearly 90% of those companies have begun the process, he said.

Ahmadi also highlighted plans to launch the first specialized human-capital training program in process safety in cooperation with the Petroleum University of Technology. The first phase will train 60 people before expanding to additional levels.

He said the ministry is supporting research projects in process safety management, including the use of artificial intelligence assistants, needed software tools, benchmarking-based projects and content development.

Positive Outcomes Seen During 12-Day Conflict

Mohammadreza Heidarzadeh, CEO of Arya Sasol Polymer Co., said previous rounds of this conference have produced positive outcomes, some of which were evident in process-safety resilience during the recent 12-day conflict.

He stressed the need for strong national focus on process safety management and said Arya Sasol Polymer has taken significant steps in this area, prompting continued support for holding the conference.

The third Process Safety Management Conference was held Wednesday, by Arya Sasol Polymer Co. at the Koushak International Conference Center in Tehran.