The 10th Qatar Process Safety Symposium (QPSS) kicked off on Sunday, bringing together Texas A&M University at Qatar, ConocoPhillips and Qatargas, as part of an industry-academia joint initiative.
To celebrate its successful 10-year run, this year’s theme is “Human error happens. How do we overcome the inevitable?” It tackles an important challenge in the process safety circles.
Todd Conklin, an internationally-renowned expert in organisational safety and human performance, joined expert panellists and industry leaders to debate current concerns and advances in the field.
"While there is no one-size-fits-all solution, we can jointly implement superior control processes to mitigate the adverse effects of human error in the future,” Qatargas chief executive Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa al-Thani said.
This homegrown niche event — which brings together industry and academia — offers a unique opportunity to hear first-hand accounts from leading local and international subject matter experts. Every human-made process poses an element of human error, which necessitates the implementation and continual review of control parameters.
Over the course of the event, 22 international and local speakers from companies such as Dolphin Energy, Qatar Chemical Company, Qatar Fuel Additives Company, Qatar Petrochemical Company and Qatar Petroleum will debate crucial topics such as human factors engineering, organisational safety culture, safety management systems, and process safety competency.
“Our connection to the local oil and gas industry stems from a strong academic focus in engineering... Establishing a dialogue between business and academia is a substantial part of our efforts,” said Dr César O Malavé, dean of Texas A&M at Qatar.
Todd Creeger, president of ConocoPhillips Qatar, said Qatar’s rapid industry expansion follows the country’s commitment to the aspirations outlined in Qatar National Vision 2030. "This year, we acknowledge the inherent issue of human error and its effect on overall safety, growth, and production volume," he added.
