DOHA, QATAR – Gulf Drilling International and Qatar Shell recently hosted a Dropped Objects Prevention Scheme (DROPS) forum in Doha. The forum was attended by industry experts from the Middle East region, Qatar Petroleum and various operators and contractors based in Qatar. The forum was led by the global DROPS work group, not-for-profit entity consisting of more than 100 different regulators, operators, and contractors. Their objective is to eradicate the occurrence of dropped objects in the oil industry environment and elsewhere. This was the second such meeting conducted in Doha this year.

The risk of dropped objects is particularly relevant in drilling operations as the drilling process relies on having large amounts of equipment that are located in places above where people are working. Dropped Objects have been identified as a key risk in any work environment, including other parts of the oil and gas sector, industry, construction and even at home. Any object that is placed at a height, retains energy and has the potential to cause harm to people should it fall. Although it may be near impossible to remove this risk altogether, there are many practical and easy steps that can be taken to manage that risk. As a result of this awareness, it has already been proven that structured efforts on competency, design and inspections will significantly reduce the number of safety incidents caused by dropped objects. The forum allowed the participants to share their ideas and experiences on how to manage this risk and challenged them to take an active role in furthering this cause.

Olav Skar, Qatar Shell’s Well Delivery Manager opened the forum, and commented:  “We are pleased to support the DROPS forum, as I believe we can make a positive difference in keeping teams in Qatar and across the globe safe. I am particularly impressed that the numbers of delegates have increased since our initial meeting in Doha six months ago. It is also a positive development that the format of the forum has expanded to include contents outside of the drilling specific domain. Last, it is great to see the commitment to DROPS from Gulf Drilling International, GDI. We need Qatari companies like GDI to take an active safety leadership role in the oil industry both here and beyond the borders of Qatar. Working together, we can make a bigger difference!”

GDI’s Chief Executive Officer and Director, Ibrahim J. Al-Othman said: “DROPS is one of the key safety risks facing the drilling industry today. It is particularly positive to see a global and coordinated effort within the industry to deal with this risk. We are very pleased to help bring the forum to Qatar, and would like to thank the Global DROPS forum for their efforts. As leaders, we are accountable for the safety and welfare of our people. At GDI, we are committed to achieve excellence in that quest, and the DROPS forum is a key step-on towards that destination of a safe work environment .”