Risk management in offshore operations must be supported by stronger training systems and a reduction in shortcut culture, according to Martin Cheong, General Manager of SBM Offshore Guyana.
He made the remarks on April 28 at the Ministry of Labour and Manpower Planning’s Occupational Safety and Health Symposium at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre where government, industry and labour stakeholders discussed workplace safety across sectors, including oil and gas.
“One of the things with oil and gas is that every day, as something happens, it changes the way that we’re thinking and how we approach work. And the same has to do with [the] specific culture that we’re building. It has to be dynamic to be able to be nimble enough to respond to those situations and support the various industrial sectors that are growing within the country, to be able to respond and keep people safe,” he added.
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Cheong said offshore operations carry low-frequency but high-consequence risks, making structured safety systems essential to prevent major incidents. He noted that systems are designed to avoid major accident hazards, but human behaviour remains a critical factor in risk control.
He pointed to the need for continuous training and safety culture development among offshore workers, especially as Guyana’s oil and gas sector expands and brings in more contractors and interfaces across operations.
“Sometimes we like to take shortcuts, but obviously that is a very dangerous precedent to be setting,” he said, adding that safety systems must evolve alongside the pace of industrial growth.
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Cheong said risk is not limited to major offshore hazards but also includes everyday operational activities such as working at height, confined spaces and hot work, all of which require strict controls in offshore environments.
He stressed that safety performance depends on how well risks are understood and communicated, particularly in high-pressure work environments where decision-making can be affected by fatigue and operational demands.
SBM Offshore’s operations are supported by structured occupational safety and health (OSH) systems aimed at preventing incidents and reinforcing safe work practices. According to Cheong, the company conducts regular engagements with contractors and vendors to ensure safety requirements are clearly understood and applied across all activities.
“Strong safety performance does not come from rules alone. It comes from systems that are designed to manage complexity. That includes integrating process safety with occupational safety, so that we are protecting both people and operations in a consistent way,” Cheong said.
