Mission / Scope

Planning to maintain and enhance occupational health and improve safety conditions across the refining and distribution industries, as well as protect environmental health; providing high-level oversight of the implementation of HSE programs and procedures; and coordinating and integrating HSE, passive defense, and crisis management programs across the refining and distribution industries.

1. History of the Health, Safety and Environment Management System

On February 18, 2002, the Minister of Petroleum approved the establishment of an HSE Management System in the petroleum industry. It was decided that, following a review of the available resources in this field, a model and guidelines for implementing the Health, Safety and Environment Management System would be placed on the agenda of the Central Council for Safety and Firefighting Oversight. This decision came after more than three years of informal studies aimed at identifying the most appropriate approach for establishing a safe, effective and efficient management system.

Following the Council's resolution, a specialized technical committee on safety and firefighting was established to conduct an extensive review of documents and records and to examine in detail the experience of international oil companies in implementing HSE management systems. The committee's review of various models and its studies resulted in the selection of the model developed by the International Association of Oil & Gas Producers (OGP) as the most appropriate approach. The proposal was approved at the 37th meeting of the Central Council for Safety and Firefighting Oversight.

Subsequently, by a letter dated March 15, 2003, the then Minister of Petroleum instructed all levels of the petroleum industry to implement the requirements of the Health, Safety and Environment Management System. The review of resources and human resources, organizational structure, and required facilities were among the matters subsequently placed on the agenda.

The first HSE organizational chart was issued by the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) in early 2004. On July 26, 2004, the Ministry of Petroleum issued the HSE organizational structure separately to all levels of the petroleum industry, including the Ministry of Petroleum and the principal companies in the oil, gas, petrochemical, and refining and distribution sectors, as well as their respective subsidiaries.

Since then, all oil companies have pursued the established objectives and policies and have made every effort to perform their activities and responsibilities in accordance with operating procedures and work instructions developed during the planning stage or beforehand, based on HSE principles.

The Health, Safety and Environment Management of the National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company (NIORDC) was established in the second half of 2004 as part of the Company's efforts to achieve international standards applicable to reputable petroleum industries, promote sustainable development, modernize production, and provide high-quality services, while changing attitudes and correcting traditional perceptions of accidents throughout the organization. This organizational unit, which replaced the former Safety and Firefighting departments, was relatively new at the time; nevertheless, during its short period of operation, it established an effective track record and made a significant impact across the Company's operational units.

A brief review of the Management's performance demonstrates the depth of its quantitative and qualitative impact on improving health, safety, and environmental conditions throughout the refining and distribution sector. Millions of man-hours of operations with minimal incidents at NIORDC have been the result of a fundamental change in the Company's approach to safety management.

At the same time as the HSE structure was issued, the development of job descriptions, job qualification requirements, and recruitment of relevant personnel across the petroleum industry began. These activities took more than one year to complete.

The lack of an established pool of expertise, particularly in integrated HSE management, posed challenges to the implementation of the management system and slowed progress, especially in the areas of accident prevention and control, including fatalities, occupational diseases, and environmental pollution.

This situation made it essential to accelerate the planning and implementation of training programs and enhance the skills of HSE personnel from the early stages of implementation.

Changing the traditional approach to accident control and preventive measures across all projects and programs was among the cultural initiatives undertaken. Due to the nature of this effort and its focus on developing a new mindset among personnel, it was a time-consuming process; however, the foundations for these programs were established during the early years.

It is evident that improving organizational culture is a long-term process and one that never reaches a point of completion. To ensure that the desired results are achieved through effective HSE-MS programs and the attainment of HSE objectives, their outcomes must be continuously improved. Accordingly, since 2009, NIORDC has strengthened the foundations of its HSE Management System by placing greater emphasis on HSE culture.

The development of specialized procedures and operating instructions, together with the updating of existing regulations, procedures, and standards, was another key area requiring timely and effective planning and implementation. Since 2005, more than 60 procedures and operating instructions have been developed within the Ministry of Petroleum and NIORDC alone. In 2009, the preparation of more than 300 procedures and operating instructions was placed on the agenda of NIORDC's HSE Management. Due to the substantial volume of work, the need for rapid preparation, and the requirements of the industries, a major portion of the services planned by NIORDC from 2009 onward was undertaken through consultancy services.

Assessing the existing state of HSE management, conducting benchmarking, identifying gaps through gap analysis, and developing an effective strategic roadmap were among the other measures that companies were required to plan and establish as effectively and rapidly as possible.

More than four years after the aforementioned directives were issued, the petroleum industry was undertaking extensive planning for different levels of work, taking existing positions and occupations into account, with the aim of defining HSE responsibilities for all positions and determining how all levels of the workforce should be involved.

Identifying critical activities, defining the role of all organizational units in accident prevention, and organizing activities in light of HSE involvement in other organizational functions were among the major challenges facing HSE management units. Effective implementation of these measures would represent significant progress in accident prevention and control.

2. Why HSE-MS?

As industrial development progressed, machinery entered virtually every aspect of human life, the role of equipment and machinery in work processes became increasingly prominent, and interaction between people and industrial environments increased. Organizations consequently faced new and continuing challenges related to health, safety, and environmental protection. Compliance with existing traditional regulations alone was no longer sufficient to address these challenges.

To protect and enhance organizations, safeguard human resources, preserve the environment, and prevent damage to equipment and facilities, integrated HSE management emerged as a comprehensive approach to addressing these concerns.

The HSE Management System serves as a management tool for controlling and improving health, safety, and environmental performance across all development programs, industrial projects, and organizational structures. By creating a culture conducive to innovation and fostering a new, systematic approach to sustainable development and human dignity, the system integrates and aligns human resources, facilities, and equipment. Through effective training systems, periodic audits, evaluation, and continual improvement, it helps minimize the adverse impacts of industrial activities on the environment while enhancing their positive impacts.

It also promotes comprehensive safety for all employees and organizational partners, equipment, and facilities; seeks to reduce occupational accidents and injuries to zero through the elimination or control of unsafe conditions; enhances people's health through managerial, engineering, and operational control measures at all organizational levels; and protects the environment as a global human heritage.

The expansion of new materials and technologies, while improving human well-being, also creates new hazards. Addressing these hazards requires a shared commitment to implementing health, safety, and environmental programs to protect human life, the environment, and national assets.

The recurrence of similar accidents and the limited effectiveness of existing control measures led organizations to examine the accident-prevention programs of leading international oil companies and investigate the reasons behind their success. The experience of successful and reputable oil companies around the world demonstrated a shift from a reactive approach to a proactive approach in accident-control programs. This approach led them toward integrating health, safety, and environmental management.

Under this approach, in which risk management was based on assessing health, safety, and environmental aspects and hazards, companies strengthened their capabilities in these areas and achieved satisfactory and desirable results. In the petroleum industry, following reviews of the performance of successful companies such as Shell and Total, as well as their approaches to managing accident-control programs, an approach was adopted based on the belief that establishing a systematic process as the first step and developing a proactive approach as the next would enable our industries to develop more effective programs through the application of modern tools and technologies.

The HSE Management Systems of oil companies affiliated with OGP were used as models, with the relevant practices adapted to local conditions based on the nature of the industry and available facilities, in accordance with the principle of equifinality. This principle recognizes that, in order to accelerate programs and achieve significant improvements, organizations can draw on the successful experience of reputable companies with comparable operations and performance.

Today, the Iranian petroleum industry has developed the vision and capacity required to manage health, safety, and environmental programs in an integrated manner. As a strategic industry in the country, the petroleum industry has consistently taken the lead in adopting internationally recognized standards and updating its management systems. Accordingly, it makes full use of its capabilities to create healthy working environments and promote sustainable development.

The Integrated Health, Safety and Environment Management System in the petroleum industry facilitates the achievement of its objectives: creating workplaces free from accidents, injuries, and environmental pollutants.

HSE also reduces costs and risks, enhances safety and opportunities, and provides the basis for integrated and reliable auditing. By bringing these three areas under an integrated management framework, significant synergies and mutually reinforcing effects are created, with the combined positive results substantially exceeding those achieved in the past.

Contact Us

Tel.: 61638510
Fax: 66404969
Address: No. 414, 3rd Floor, Taliqani Street, between Hafez and Vali Asr Streets, corner of Kashefi Alley
Postal Code: 15553-15918