The Saudi International Oil Fire Safety Conference (OFSAC 2019) and exhibition took place at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh from Sept. 16 to 18th.
The event, organized by the General Secretariat of the High Commission for Industrial Security (HCIS) at the Ministry of the Interior, was held under the patronage of Prince Abdul Aziz bin Saud bin Naif, minister of the interior and chairman of the HCIS, and was inaugurated by Assistant Minister of the Interior for Operations Affairs General Saeed bin Abdullah Al-Qahtani. The conference was attended by Secretary-General of International Energy Forum (IEF) Dr. Sun Xiansheng, HCIS Secretary-General Brig. General Mohammed bin Ali Al-Habdan, and a number of specialists in industrial safety.
The opening ceremony started with the recitation of the Holy Qur’an, followed by a presentation introducing the conference theme and topics.
Al-Habdan said the conference and exhibition demonstrates the role of public utilities in mobilizing and activating the oil, gas and petrochemical industries in the Kingdom and the Middle East to take up precautionary and safety measures in case of fire disasters, and to make preparations and response plans — in line with Saudi Vision 2030.
He highlighted the HCIS’ efforts in achieving the objectives of the Saudi government in improving hazard prevention and control measures through the development of policies, plans and technical, engineering and regulatory instructions necessary to protect oil and industrial facilities.
The conference sessions were divided into three themes, namely: “Fire Disasters in the Oil, Gas, Petrochemical and Chemical Industries: Facts, Figures and Solutions,” “Best Practices and Innovations in the Field of Oil and Gas Fire Prevention,” and “Promoting a Fire Safety Culture in the Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Industry from the Perspective of the International Community.”
Organizers said around 350 people participated in six specialized training programs that were designed to meet the training requirements of oil and gas companies, petrochemical industries and power treatment plants. The programs aimed to bridge the training gap in fire safety and to introduce practical and viable solutions to increase efficiency.
