Oil search to partner pilot project

The Oil Search Foundation and PNG Business Coalition for Women (BCFW) signed an agreement yesterday that formalises the participation of Oil Search in a pilot project.
The project focuses on safety issues in the workplace which are linked to gender.
The Gender-Smart Safety training programme provides skills and tools to carry out women’s safety audits to help improve the safety of women in the workplace.
The pilot project commenced in May 2016 as part of a joint effort by BCFW and the International Monetary Fund to support women’s economic empowerment in the country.
Chair of BCFW Lesieli Taviri said the project was the result of a recent study into the safety of women working in remote locations in Papua New Guinea.
“Safety is an area that is traditionally something considered to be gender neutral,” she said.
Organisations often do not consider that men may have a different understanding of what constitutes a safety issue as compared to a female perspective,” Taviri said.
Three Oil Search employees are participating in the Gender-Smart Safety training programme.
Oil Search’s PNG Business Unit executive general manager Julian Fowles said the training would advance Oil Search’s drive towards providing a safe, supportive and progressive work environment for women to perform at a high level.
“Being part of this pilot programme supports our vision of a PNG where gender equality is realised and women are empowered to live productive lives, free from all forms of violence,” he said.
“Feeling safe in the workplace plays a big part in achieving this vision.”
Upon completion of the training programme, Oil Search will have three employees specialised in gender-smart safety to identify, measure and mitigate risks.