A focus on health and safety

The early days of work on any well site highlight

two crucial elements of our approach to drilling
for gas in Papua New Guinea.
The first is the need for close cooperation with
local landowners who decide whether we can
work in the area.
When we have their permission, members of
local communities are hired to help prepare the
area for drilling.

chance to join the team over the four or five

months it takes to prepare the site.
During the recruitment, workers are checked by
a medic to ensure they are fit for the demanding
physical work and also to make sure that no one
has any communicable diseases that could be
passed on to other workers.
Learning what to do around heavy machinery

Health and safety are vital to our operations

The second crucial element is our emphasis on
proper health and safety procedures to prevent
accidents and protect the wellbeing of all staff
and contractors engaged with InterOil.
Preparing a site for drilling is tough work and
done in remote areas. We do our best to ensure
that our workers are fully trained and that they
work safely. Every InterOil worksite, however
remote, has its own health and safety plan, which
covers training, personal safety protocols, work
procedures, equipment standards and maintenance, and procedures to follow if we have an
accident. The whole idea and main focus is to
avoid accidents.
One accident is too many.
Raptor site work to date
Raptor is one of three well sites that InterOil is
preparing for exploration drilling.
It is about 21km from Wabo station in the Gulf
province and is accessible only by helicopter. All
food, equipment, and workers have to be flown in
and out.Work on the site started late last year with

When the vegetation is mostly cleared, the area is

flattened for the drill rig to be assembled.
Heavy machinery with experienced operators
and mechanics is brought in by helicopter to start
levelling the ridge.

An aerial view of Raptor

the first phase involving clearing bush and trees

with a crew of 15 to 20 people who work hard in
hot and humid conditions.
This work is mostly done by hand, using small
tools such as bush knives and chainsaws. The
crew includes a chainsaw operator, a foreman, a
supervisor, a medic and a cook. Most of the workers come from surrounding communities and are
hired through the local company representing the
landowners in the area.
Medical checks for everyone on site
People work on rotation and many villages get a

Where possible, we hire local people who have

experience in this work because large machinery
requires special skill and knowledge. It takes time
and a good deal of training for our workers to
learn what to do and what not to do around big
excavators, bulldozers and helicopters. When
people join the team, we train them on how to
work safely around these machines as well as in
their jobs. Training and supervision are key ways
to prevent incidents from occurring.
Even as we look forward to drilling in coming
months, and discovering whether Raptor will
produce gas for sale in Asia, we never forget our
two starting priorities: good relationships with
our local communities and protecting the health
and wellbeing of all of those who work with us.
When we think of sustainable operations in
Papua New Guinea, those two elements are
always front and centre.