Due to the dangerous nature of the oil and gas industry, thousands of occupational injuries occur every year. Industry regulators must employ effective occupational safety practices, and Timor-Leste’s National Petroleum Authority/Autoridade Nacional do Petróleo (ANP) has enlisted in British Safety Services to help achieve this goal.

Timor-Leste produces over 96 000 barrels of oil on a daily basis, and the ANP oversees the industry to ensure its compliance with production, development and transport regulations. It is also crucial for the ANP to ensure that workers in the local oil and gas industry remain safe, so the regulator has decided to review its safety measures to ensure that they are effective.

Over the next 4 years, BSS will be conducting a competency assessment and development programme of the ANP to ensure that the competency of the regulatory body’s health, safety and environment staff are effective in protecting workers from occupational hazards. Safety specialists from BSS will identify areas occupational safety competence that are effective and others that are in need of improvement.

The relationship between BSS and the ANP started in 2013, when we presented a NEBOSH International Technical Certificate in Oil and Gas Operational Safety course in Timor-Leste for the HS&E staff. The training focused on health and safety from the viewpoint of workers and managers. Now, during the competency assessment, we will be looking at occupational safety in Timor-Leste’s oil industry from a regulatory perspective.

Oil and gas is the biggest industry in Timor-Leste, and it is crucial that its workers remain safe and healthy. By partnering with the ANP, British Safety Services aims to ensure that all oil and gas workers, both indigenous and ex-patriate, are well looked after.