On Wednesday 5 March, the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre houses the Another Perspective on Risk Conference - hosted by SPE Aberdeen’s Another Perspective (AP) Committee. The conference seeks to reassess the management of human risk within oil, gas and mining industries. Among the speakers is Jem Thomas, head of operations at Albany Associates, who will speak about the essential role of communications when managing risk in challenging international environments.  

Thomas emphasises the importance of moving away from traditional methods of corporate social responsibility programs, and, instead, forging a relationship with local communities through the use of effective and focused communication strategies. Often, human risk is the outcome of the political strife and struggle that surrounds extraction sites; corruption, sabotage and theft are all problems that affect extraction companies, and are traditionally tackled with expensive displays of force.  

In Communicate’s October issue Thomas said, “Genuine dialogue and forums should be created in which the concerns of local communities can be voiced, who can then perceive that foreign companies are truly listening.” The Aberdeen conference is part of a movement that prioritises communication, among other methods, in the mitigation of risk.

Other speakers at the Another Perspective on Risk conference include keynote address The Rt Hon the Lord Cullen of Whitekirk KT who published The Lord Cullen Report in 1990, a report that revolutionised health and safety in the oil industry. The conference will ask whether the time has come for another major re-evaluation of health and safety practices within the extractive industry and, if so, who will initiate these changes.