IOGP Safety Directorate - December reflections

Colleagues,

I write this from a rainy Netherlands where we have spent the festive period with family and friends. Tomorrow, it is off to Norway for DIY activities in the house where I grew up. There is something transformational about a carefully applied paint brush, a new floor and the first shower in a newly fitted bathroom. Now an appropriate time has elapsed since my parents passed, the house gradually feels “ours”. We will make sure to give their?legacy its place, whilst at the same time add our unique fresh shoots to the strong foundation provided.

2022 saw many new shoots take shape both in IOGP and our industry as well. The shoots will grow and become part of our foundation and legacy. Our industry remains a pillar for human progress.

For the safety directorate, it has been an extraordinary year. The most profound change is our posture. We have consciously adopted a more forward leaning stance, more effective in setting safety tone and direction for our industry. We have also consciously done more to bring different players together. Through that, we enable others to help amplify. Nowhere is this more true than in the Human Performance domain. Momentum for the 5 principles are building and I am proud of our part in making that happen.

We also added agility to better understand our “in the moment” safety performance as an industry. Whilst what we discovered mid-year gave cause for concern, it enabled us to communicate on those concerns. We believe our members and beyond listen and mobilise based on learnings from others.

2022 saw many great events where we again could get properly together and set out the next steps of progress. I will mention three which stand out. First, the Safety Collaboration Forum in Houston early November moved many needles and will make a difference going forward. Second, the breadth of the IADC conference calendar provided both insights and inspiration, we were delighted to contribute. Third, I wanted to highlight the diving week in Dubai where, in particular, the ship husbandry workshop set a new tone.

There are too many thank you’s to mention. My direct IOGP team are simply awesome as are the broader secretariat across all the directorates. Inspired colleagues in other trade associations and groups across the globe likewise. I wanted to particularly mention the International Regulator Forum where 2022 saw both concrete deliverables and future direction set. Last, of course, our members and the huge amount of insightful colleagues who give up their time and energy for the common good. We hunger for even more progress towards shared goals. We get there quicker together.?

Today, on the last day of the year, we can pause for a moment, look back at the road we have travelled and reflect that our contributions continue to make a difference. My most sincere thanks to every single one of you. We matter!

A change to a new year does not mean that issues have gone away. There are still geopolitical tensions and conflicts affecting many, energy security means continued complexity, the climate crisis has not gone away, pandemic alertness remain, we still have fatalities and permanent impairments and we have not yet delivered uniformity of systems, tools and care across the totality to prevent them. Our work is not yet done.

2023 will therefore no doubt be a year of continued transformations for society, our industry and -for some of us- personally as well. Whilst this may be daunting, it is in our hands to ensure that the opportunities on offer outweigh the aspects which wears us down. Indeed, we are free to decide our unique fresh shoots, and can do so confident in the foundations built by those who came before.

I hope that those of you who celebrate Christmas found joy and inspiration with loved ones, and that 2023 will be healthy, safe and prosperous for you all!

Kind regards

Olav

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