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Sopuruchi Onwuka
Industry contractors, who bear greater responsibility for oilfield workers’ safety and environmental impact mitigation, must collaborate closely with operating companies to uphold health, safety, security, social, and environment (HSSSE) standards.
TotalEnergies made this call in a media release following its HSSSE forum for 62 contractors, held on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, at the TotalEnergies Village in Port Harcourt.
The event, themed “The Role of Contractors in Regaining Operational Control and Embedding Safety Culture,” reaffirmed the company’s commitment to achieving zero incidents and fatalities.
Country Chair and Managing Director of TotalEnergies Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited, Mr. Matthieu Bouyer, highlighted that service companies must work hand in hand with operators to deliver the industry’s shared safety goals.
He stressed the critical role of contractors, who account for about 70 percent of TotalEnergies’ total manhours and are often more exposed to operational risks.
According to him, most serious incidents affect contractor personnel rather than company staff, making close collaboration essential to sustaining safety improvements.
Addressing the managing directors of oilfield service companies in attendance, Mr. Bouyer called for visible leadership and accountability in driving safety performance.
He urged them to uphold safety rules, ensure that workers are properly trained and equipped, encourage employees to speak up about unsafe conditions, learn from incidents to prevent recurrence, and foster a culture that rewards safe behavior while addressing lapses constructively.
The company explained that the programme also introduced the SABI project—an initiative aimed at strengthening operational control and embedding a proactive safety culture across all operations. Mr. Bouyer noted that contractors play a vital role in the success of the SABI project, emphasizing that consistent adherence to safety principles helps entrench a fair and responsible culture across worksites.
“Our goal is simple,” he stated. “To ensure that every person working on our sites returns home safely at the end of each day or shift.” He reaffirmed that safety remains a core value at TotalEnergies—one that must be upheld across all operations and mirrored by every contractor.
“SABI is not just a project—it’s a mindset shift,” Mr. Bouyer concluded. “It reflects our commitment to safe, robust operations. I urge you to support and implement SABI-related actions to help us build a workplace where safety is everyone’s responsibility.”
The forum also featured a syndicate session, a detailed presentation on the SABI project, award recognitions, and the validation of the Safe Driving Charter of Commitment, further reinforcing the collective pursuit of safety excellence across the oil and gas value chain.
