Health, safety, environment & quality
Visible compliance maturity forms part of the decision threshold before technical or commercial evaluation begins.
Management framework
Occupational health & safety
ISO 45001:2018
The first international OH&S management-system standard, replacing OHSAS 18001. Built on the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle, with emphasis on leadership, worker participation, risk assessment, legal compliance, emergency planning and continual improvement. Reviewed and confirmed as current in 2024.
Quality
ISO 9001:2015
Fifth edition. Covers context of the organization, leadership, planning, support, operation, performance evaluation and improvement. The most widely used management-system standard, with more than one million certificates across 189 countries.
Environment
ISO 14001
The 2015 edition introduced stronger emphasis on leadership, risk-based thinking and the High-Level Structure. ISO 14001:2015 is now replaced by ISO 14001:2026, currently in transition, and our framework tracks the revision.
Road traffic safety
ISO 39001:2012
Relevant to field logistics and personnel transport, where driving is a leading exposure.
Greenhouse gas reporting
ISO 14064-1:2018
Principles and requirements at organization level across Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3. The accounting basis for emissions disclosure.
Sources: ISO online catalogue records. Full list in the standards index.
IOGP Report 459
Around 80% of industry incidents resulting in fatalities involve activities covered by these rules. Report 459-1 adds 13 Start Work Checks aligned to them.
Obtain authorisation before overriding or disabling safety controls.
Verify isolation and zero energy before work begins.
Obtain authorisation before entering a confined space.
Follow safe driving rules.
Plan lifting operations and control the area.
Control flammables and ignition sources.
Work with a valid permit when required.
Protect yourself against a fall when working at height.
Keep yourself and others out of the line of fire.
Process safety
API RP 754 (third edition, August 2021) sets four tiers on a leading-to-lagging continuum. Tiers 1 and 2 suit public reporting; Tiers 3 and 4 are for internal use.
Tier 1 · most lagging
Loss of primary containment with the greatest consequence.
Tier 2
Loss of primary containment with lesser consequence, predictive of higher-consequence events.
Tier 3
Challenges to safety systems: safe-operating-limit excursions and demands on safety systems.
Tier 4 · most leading
Operating discipline and management-system performance indicators.
Sources: OSHA 1910.119 · API RP 754 Fact Sheet · IOGP
Hydrogen sulphide control
Published occupational limits and consequence levels, on a logarithmic scale in parts per million.
H₂S explosive range in air: 4.3% to 45%.
ANSI/API RP 49
Recommended Practice for Safe Drilling of Wells Containing Hydrogen Sulphide.
29 CFR 1910.146
A hazardous atmosphere is oxygen below 19.5% or above 23.5%, or flammable gas exceeding 10% of the lower flammable limit.
Sources: OSHA Hydrogen Sulfide hazards and standards pages · OSHA 29 CFR 1910.146 · ANSI/API RP 49
Work control systems
Control 01
Work proceeds only under a valid permit where required (Rule 7). Job Safety Analysis is completed before permit issue.
Control 02
Lock-Out / Tag-Out under 29 CFR 1910.147. Isolation and zero energy verified before work begins (Rule 2).
Control 03
29 CFR 1910.146: written programme, atmospheric testing, an attendant and rescue procedures. Oxygen between 19.5% and 23.5%, flammable gas below 10% LFL.
Control 04
Flammables and ignition sources controlled first (Rule 6). Critical in sulphur handling areas, where dust presents an explosion hazard.
Quality assurance
Environment & emissions
Flaring reduction
The World Bank initiative to end routine gas flaring no later than 2030, within its Global Flaring and Methane Reduction Partnership, supported by IPIECA.
Methane reporting
A measurement-based framework covering Scope 1 methane across the value chain, from Level 1 generic factors to Level 5 reconciliation with measurement-based inventories.
Emissions accounting
Quantification and reporting of greenhouse-gas emissions and removals across Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3.
Marine air emissions
First adopted in 1973, with Annex VI on air pollution added in 1997. 21 of the IMO's 51 treaty instruments are environment-related.
Sulphur oxide control
The global marine fuel sulphur cap under MARPOL Annex VI Regulation 14, tightening inside Emission Control Areas, with the Mediterranean added from 1 May 2025.
Sources: World Bank ZRF · OGMP 2.0 Reporting Framework · IPIECA · ISO 14064-1 · IMO
Emergency response
Sources: EPA · USCG NPFC · IMO · OSHA
