The Bayelsa Government on Wednesday unveiled a policy christened “Lives Before Oil’’ to ensure safety of lives in oil field operations within the state.
The reports that the guidelines followed the July 9 pipeline explosion at the Agip’s oil field in Azuzuama, which killed 14 people.
Officials of Bayelsa Ministry of Environment and National Oil Spills Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) and 12 maintenance crew members were amongst the victims.
The Bayelsa Commissioner for Environment, Mr Iniruo Wills, said in Yenagoa that henceforth the sequence of responses after every oil leak incident would be to shutdown and clean up before repairs of the facility.
Wills said the 12 point guidelines were not new rules in the oil industry because they were drawn from existing laws and rules from the industry regulators.
He said the state government was committed to implement the rules to save lives.
The guide reads in part: “shutdown pipelines or other source facilities and notify the regulators within 24 hours as stipulated in the NOSDRA.
“Before and for all Joint Investigative Visit (JIV), containment, clean up and repair operations.
“Carry sufficient fire prevention/fighting equipment, materials and competent personnel certified by the regulators.
“Ensure that all personnel are kitted with appropriate and fire resistant personal protective equipment and conduct gas leak test in the incident are.”
Wills said the state government had begun the enforcement of the safety regulations before the explosion.
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