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Hoima, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | TotalEnergies E&P Uganda has achieved 20 million man-hours without Lost Time Incidents (LTI) on the Tilenga Project. This milestone was recorded on August 10, 2023, exactly 226 days since the 10-million-hour mark was realized in January.
It comes two years since the Tilenga Project operations kicked off in both Nwoya and Buliisa districts in May 2021. Cyril Champigny, TotalEnergies E&P Uganda Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) Director told Uganda Radio Network in an interview Tuesday that the milestone is a great achievement for the project and the oil and gas industry in the country.
Champigny says the achievement shows TotalEnergies’ commitment to working responsibly towards the protection of the environment and the safety of all some 8,000 workers and contractors executing the project.
A Lost Time Incident (LTI) refers to an injury sustained by an employee that results in the loss of productive work time for more than 24 hours, permanent disability, or even death. The measurement of LTI is a lagging indicator that is aimed at measuring a company’s incident in the form of past accident statistics.
He however reminded the employees undertaking the Tilenga Project to be more vigilant about their safety especially now that they have hydrocarbon risks since drilling has reached the oil reservoir.
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Champigny says there is a need to have careful management of the gas and oil venue emerging from the oil reservoir adding that they are now focusing on major risks related to hydrocarbon.
He adds that the more complex activities including the heavy lifting of equipment at the Central Processing facility, which is the heart of the Tilenga Project also present a great risk that needs more safety management.
Bashir Katajja, the HSE Engineer at Sinopec says several interventions among them awareness training, motivation and recognition of workers, management leadership, and compliance to golden safety rules set by TotalEnergies helped them achieve 20 million hours without LTI.
Katajja notes that injuries have a negative impact on the productivity and morale of the workers and notes that it’s crucial that at all times, it is avoided through the establishment of a Health and safety management system.
In light of the achievement, on Tuesday, TotalEnergies organized a celebration at its Tangi Camp Site in Got Apwoyo Sub-county, Nwoya district where it rewarded workers and contractors that excelled in road safety, high-risk operation, observation reporting, and emergency response among others.
The employees who excelled in safety management received gifts ranging from shopping vouchers, solar-powered lights, and solar units, smartphones with the overall winner taking a brand-new mountain bike. Contractors among them Sinopec, Motaengil, and Zpeb were awarded certificates.
TotalEnergies kicked off oil drilling in the Murchison Falls National Park at the Jobi Rii 5 in Nwoya District before embarking on oil drilling in Ngiri 3 oil well in Buliisa district in July this year. The Tilenga Project is expected to produce 230,000 barrels of oil at the plateau from the six oil fields of Ngiri, Jobi Rii, Gunya, Mputa-Nzizi-Waraga, Kasemene-Wahirindi, Kigogole-Ngara, Nsoga, and Ngege fields.
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