Managing Contractor Safety by Oil and Gas Producers and Prospects of Implementation in Other Industries of the Republic of Kazakhstan

At present time major oil and gas corporations successfully utilize risk-oriented health and safety management systems to prevent process incidents, serious injuries and fatalities. The improvement of working conditions is possible through the adoption and implementation of the national program for ensuring safe work. To form it, a factor analysis was carried out, which revealed the spectrum of dominant factors of both external and internal impact: Currently, the oil and gas industry transfers up to 90% of the work on the search and extraction of natural resources to contractors. In fact, the implementation of projects passes into the hands of contractors. Most of the works including high-risk activities are performed by contractors, safety performance of which is managed through full contract cycle and focuses on early identification of risks associated with the contracted scope or work, development, implementation and sustaining mitigation controls and barriers to ensure risks are reduced to acceptable levels to prevent injuries, fatalities, process, reputational and other types of events with negative consequences. The Republic of Kazakhstan initiated and currently is going through transformation of industrial and occupational safety system where one of the concept is shifting to risk-oriented approach. This article overviews process of managing contracts for providing services on high-risk works by contractors and value, opportunities for transitioning and improving current situation in the Republic of Kazakhstan based on practices used by major oil and gas companies of the Western Kazakhstan Region and international best practices.