Nexen has plans to develop the OPITO approved CMS further and extend it throughout its global operations in the near future (photo: Nexen)

One of the UK’s largest oil producer’s employee development and competency system has been recognised as amongst the best in the world after it secured coveted approval from industry skills organisation OPITO.

Designed to ensure high quality performance and safe working practice, the Competence Management System (CMS) approval guarantees personnel working on all three of Nexen Petroleum UK Limited’s North Sea assets – Buzzard, Scott and Golden Eagle – are performing their roles to global best practice criteria.

Nexen fully embraced the opportunity to implement the OPITO scheme by deploying around a third of its UK-based workforce to deliver the challenge – this reduced the overall timeframe to achieve OPITO’s high standards of excellence. The workscope involved developing and enhancing Nexen’s own in-house process and led to more robust roles and responsibilities being identified and created within the organisation.

To gain approval, OPITO carried out a series of audits covering 15 different safety critical roles across the business, including offshore installation managers, superintendents, supervisors, lead technicians and technicians.

Achieving full approval demonstrates Nexen’s commitment to mitigating risk and ensuring the continual development of its workforce.

John McDonald, managing director of OPITO UK, says, “Having a system for managing workforce competence independently approved to industry best practice not only ensures there is measured development of employees’ skills sets, it helps to set and maintain a framework for continuous improvement and performance management, driving efficiencies and delivering cost benefits across a business. The assurance of a skilled and competent workforce is a vital tool in helping companies succeed in the current climate, but more importantly, it ensures that we continue to build a sustainable industry for the future. It is extremely encouraging to see an operator like Nexen raising the bar for the rest of the industry by investing in its North Sea workforce in this way.”

Ray Riddoch, UK Managing Director UK and SVP Europe says, “This was a tremendous team effort involving several departments across Nexen collaborating together and involved around 135 personnel who carried out this challenging task with diligence and integrity over an extended period ensuring that a Best In Class system was delivered and one can be sustained long term.”

Tags: Nexen Petroleum UK Limited