ExxonMobil affiliate Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Ltd (EEPGL) is currently searching for a Safety, Health and Environmental Analyst for its operations here.
The vacancy comes at a time when the Environmental Protection Agency has promised strict oversight of the oil and gas sector and said that there will be no compromise with companies on environmental standards.
“The Safety Health & Environmental Analyst maintains, updates, and stewards regulatory obligations with the use of a database. The position assists in ensuring that all obligations in the database are stewarded to closure in a timely manner. The position also provides regulatory guidance to stakeholders to ensure requirements are understood and fulfilled,” an advertisement in yesterday’s Sunday Stabroek states.
The importance of rigid oversight of environmental protection, has been underlined by recently appointed EPA head Dr. Vincent Adams who says that even minor lax practices for a sector such as oil and gas can have severe consequences, sometimes fatal.
“Safety in oil and gas work is like flying a plane; there is no room for error or the result can be fatal. If you do not perform or work in a safe way, you must know the results. Just look at the Deepwater Horizon spill. Every single accident can be avoided, and it is our duty to ensure that from our oversight perspective, those companies are in compliance to our rules and laws. We have to hold companies to the mantra and belief that every single accident is avoidable. I have never seen an accident occurred where, after an investigation, a report stated ‘You know, this accident just had to occur’. There is always a reason why accidents occur, and it is for that mitigating reason, that you put barriers and safeguards, and they must work according to them,” he said.
“The real issue is that you cannot work in an unsafe environment producing oil. The operation is going to be shut down. The shutdown is not the main issue because in unsafe work environments such as offshore, the repercussions are too many to risk; you have pollution of water and a polluted oceanic system, killing of fishes, damage to beaches…The BP spill and Exxon Valdez are lessons to learn from,” Adams said even as he urged citizens to watch the documentary ‘Spiral to disaster’. The documentary tells of the events leading up to the 1998 Piper Alpha North Sea disaster where an oil platform exploded, killing 167 persons.
“Can you imagine 167 of 222 persons died in that disaster? That is why environmental health and safety is a component in the oil and gas sector; that you must, you have to ensure that every barrel of oil you produce has to be in a safe and sound environmental manner. Every process, drilling, production…whatever, safety and environment matters,” he added.
The EEPGL job responsibilities includes ensuring compliance with all applicable environmental and regulatory requirements, maintaining updating, and stewarding the regulatory compliance database for tracking obligations; providing support to others in the use of the database, assisting responsible persons with understanding the actions required to maintain regulatory compliance with obligations and to interpret and apply regulations and communicate requirements to affected functions and personnel, including environmental and regulatory related requirements.
The Health and Environmental Analyst is also required to interface with internal departments and line management on setting priorities and communicating positions related to new, amended or existing laws and regulations, assist with workshops with regulators and regulatory compliance awareness training to Subject Matter Experts, assist with the development and submission of regulatory notifications to comply with obligations and upload new law documents/approvals and create new obligations to be assigned to Subject Matter Experts in regulatory compliance.
Helping the company with regulatory compliance assessment and preparing monthly regulatory compliance reports are also part of the scope of works.
Applicants must have a Bachelor’s Degree in an Environmental Science related field and a minimum of five years’ experience in environmental and regulatory related activities.
The advertisement says the person must be self-directed with the ability to recognize/pursue solutions required to solve problems and have good interpersonal skills and effective organizational skills, proficiency and knowledge in database management, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Office, and SharePoint database and a basic understanding of Guyana Acts and Regulations, as it relates to environmental regulations.
The closing date for applications was listed as November 30th and all applications plus detailed Curricula Vitae should be delivered to Maurice Solomon and Co. at 92 Oronoque St, Queenstown, Georgetown, Guyana.
