During 2011 the Academy increased its engagement activities with the refinery companies, leading to the development of some very positive outcomes for the Sector.

Mid-way through the year the Cogent launched Guidelines for Competency Management for Downstream and Petroleum sites. These new guidelines were the subject of extensive consultation and designed with input from industry experts, including members of the Cogent Downstream Advisory Council. 

In the downstream sector, a good quality, highly effective competency management system is absolutely critical to ensuring a strong safety performance.  The need for organisation-wide processes for both developing and monitoring the competence of staff is paramount within both the Sector and its supply chain.

The guidelines are applicable to all sizes of organisation, from non COMAH smaller sites, through to large top-tier COMAH sites.

Work also continued throughout 2011 to develop the Petroleum Safety Card. The ambition for the project is to ensure that all personnel working in the downstream sector can provide evidence of their safety related competencies, demonstrating a detailed awareness of the risks and hazards associated with working on a top-tier COMAH site. The Petroleum Safety Card (or COMAH card) will lead to heightened safety performance, whilst also improving the transferability of skills within the Sector.

As 2011 draws to a close, the key challenge for the Academy in 2012 will be expanding its service delivery to other parts of the Sector, to continue to provide employers with the skills and knowhow to assure operational safety through improved collaboration and upskilling programmes.