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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Upstream Safety Officer

💰 $80,000 - $160,000

SafetyHSEOil & GasUpstream Operations

🎯 Role Definition

The Upstream Safety Officer is a hands-on health, safety and environment (HSE) professional responsible for developing, implementing and monitoring safety management systems across upstream oil & gas activities (drilling, completion, well operations and production). This role leads hazard identification, risk assessments, incident investigations, regulatory compliance, emergency preparedness and contractor assurance to ensure safe, compliant and efficient operations both offshore and onshore. The Upstream Safety Officer acts as the primary HSE technical advisor to operations teams and provides coaching, auditing and continuous improvement to drive a positive safety culture.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • HSE Advisor or HSE Coordinator supporting upstream activities
  • Field/Platform Safety Technician or Offshore Safety Representative (BOSIET qualified)
  • Drilling/Production Technician with HSE responsibilities

Advancement To:

  • Senior HSE Officer / Lead Upstream Safety Advisor
  • HSE Manager — Drilling & Completions or Production
  • Regional SHEQ Manager or Operations Manager with HSE portfolio

Lateral Moves:

  • Process Safety Specialist (PSM) or Process Safety Engineer
  • Contractor HSE Lead, Audit & Assurance Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Lead and execute comprehensive risk assessments (JSA/JHA, HIRA, Bow-Tie, What-If) for drilling, well intervention, completions and production operations to identify, quantify and control upstream hazards and ensure residual risk is ALARP.
  • Develop, implement and maintain the site-level Safety Management System (SMS) and ensure alignment with corporate HSE policy, ISO 45001, API recommended practices and local regulatory requirements.
  • Conduct and lead incident investigations (root cause analysis, causal factor charting, TapRoot, 5 Whys) for near misses, HSE incidents and potential major hazard scenarios; produce corrective action plans and follow through to closure.
  • Provide day-to-day HSE support to drilling crews, rig contractors, well services and production teams, including presence during high-risk activities such as well control operations, hot work, lifting, entry into confined spaces and working at height.
  • Oversee and manage permit-to-work systems, hot-work permits, confined space permits and lock-out/tag-out procedures to ensure all work is executed under controlled conditions.
  • Develop, deliver and document site-specific HSE training, toolbox talks and competency assessments (including induction, emergency response, H2S awareness, PPE use and permit-to-work training) for operations staff and contractors.
  • Plan, coordinate and lead emergency response exercises, including evacuation drills, well control scenarios, firefighting, helicopter/boat muster and onshore contingency activation; evaluate readiness and update emergency response plans.
  • Monitor and enforce compliance with national and local regulatory obligations, industry codes (OGUK, API, OGP) and company HSE standards; liaise with regulators and prepare for inspections and audits.
  • Perform routine and targeted HSE inspections, observations, safety walks and behavioural-based safety (BBS) interventions; record findings, assign actions and verify remediation effectiveness.
  • Manage contractor HSE performance: pre-qualification, HSE pre-mobilization checks, contractor orientations, audits and performance reviews to ensure contractors meet company HSE expectations.
  • Support well control and drilling operations by coordinating HSE technical input during well planning, pre-spud meetings, hazard reviews and change management; ensure available mitigations for kicks, blowouts and pressure control events.
  • Implement and monitor environmental protection measures for upstream activities including spill prevention, waste management, shoreline protection and permits for discharges and emissions.
  • Maintain and analyze HSE key performance indicators (TRIR, LTIF, process safety indicators, shut-downs for safety reasons) and produce regular reports and dashboards for site leadership and corporate HSE.
  • Lead process safety management activities for upstream assets, including mechanical integrity programs, PFD and P&ID reviews, safety critical element (SCE) identification and assurance.
  • Support lifting operations and crane activities by reviewing Lifting Plans, performing lifting equipment inspections and ensuring competent riggers and lift supervisors are in place.
  • Manage occupational health programs on site: gas monitoring, H2S, noise, heat stress, medical surveillance and fatigue management to protect personnel health in upstream operations.
  • Lead change management for operational modifications (MOC) ensuring hazards are re-assessed, permits and procedures are updated and personnel are adequately trained before execution.
  • Coordinate materiality and decommissioning HSE activities for wells and topsides, ensuring safe isolation, plugging, abandonment and environmental compliance.
  • Provide HSE input to procurement and engineering during the design and selection of well control equipment, barriers, temporary works and production facilities to embed safety by design.
  • Facilitate and lead HAZOPs, LOPA and other hazard studies for upstream facilities and well designs to ensure robust mitigation layers and SCEs are documented and tested.
  • Maintain and control HSE documentation, procedures, safe work methods, emergency plans and regulatory filings; ensure document control and accessibility for operations teams.
  • Promote and drive a positive safety culture by coaching leaders, conducting behavioral interventions, recognizing safe behaviours and implementing continuous improvement initiatives.

Secondary Functions

  • Support regulatory reporting obligations and prepare safety reports, incident notifications and statutory reports for government agencies and corporate stakeholders.
  • Contribute to periodic HSE audits (internal and third-party) and follow-up action plans to close findings and raise standards across assets.
  • Assist with budgeting and procurement for safety-critical equipment, personal protective equipment (PPE) and emergency response resources.
  • Participate in cross-functional project teams to ensure HSE requirements are embedded during project execution, commissioning and start-up phases.
  • Mentor junior HSE staff and provide on-the-job coaching to operations personnel to raise site competency and compliance.
  • Drive lessons-learned programs by capturing leading practices and translating incident learnings into updated procedures and training materials.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Strong knowledge of upstream oil & gas HSE regulations, standards and best practices (OSHA, ISO 45001, API, OGP, OGUK).
  • Proficiency in incident investigation methodologies (Root Cause Analysis, TapRooT, 5 Whys) and corrective action management.
  • Experience with Permit to Work systems, JSA/JHA creation and management, and lock-out/tag-out procedures.
  • Competency in risk assessment techniques (HIRA, Bow-Tie, LOPA) and safety case preparation for offshore/onshore operations.
  • Familiarity with process safety management (PSM), safety critical elements (SCEs), mechanical integrity and barrier management.
  • Practical experience with emergency response planning, tabletop and full-scale exercises, and crisis management.
  • Ability to interpret engineering drawings (P&IDs, PFDs), well schematics and understand well control/pressure management requirements.
  • Skilled in contractor HSE management: prequalification, contractor audits, performance monitoring and contractual HSE clauses.
  • Proficient in HSE reporting and KPIs (TRIR, LTIF, near misses, process safety indicators) and using HSE management software/tools.
  • Relevant certifications: NEBOSH IGC / NEBOSH Diploma, IOSH, Offshore survival (BOSIET/FOET), H2S Alive, First Aid, IWCF or IADC well control awareness.
  • Familiarity with environmental permitting, spill response planning and compliance with discharge and emissions requirements.
  • Competence in delivering HSE training and competency assessments, including behavioral safety techniques.

Soft Skills

  • Strong leadership and presence in operational environments with the ability to influence frontline crews and senior management.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills for report writing, incident briefings and regulatory liaison.
  • High attention to detail combined with pragmatic decision-making under pressure during critical operations.
  • Proactive problem-solving, continuous improvement mindset and ability to drive change across multi-disciplinary teams.
  • Strong stakeholder management skills: able to coordinate across operations, engineering, procurement, contractors and regulators.
  • Coaching and mentoring ability to build capability within teams and sustain HSE performance improvements.
  • Cultural sensitivity and adaptability to operate in multi-national, remote offshore and onshore environments.
  • Time management and prioritization skills to balance audits, inspections, incident response and proactive safety activities.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Petroleum, Mechanical, Chemical), Occupational Health & Safety, Environmental Science or related technical discipline.

Preferred Education:

  • Master’s degree or postgraduate diploma in Occupational Health & Safety, Environmental Management or Safety Engineering.
  • Professional HSE qualifications such as NEBOSH Diploma, Certified Safety Professional (CSP) or equivalent.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Petroleum Engineering
  • Chemical or Mechanical Engineering
  • Occupational Health & Safety
  • Environmental Science / Management
  • Industrial/Process Safety

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 5 – 12 years of progressively responsible HSE experience in upstream oil & gas (combination of onshore and offshore preferred).

Preferred:

  • 8+ years’ upstream HSE experience with demonstrable incident investigation, emergency response and well operations exposure.
  • Prior offshore rig/platform experience and valid offshore survival/medical certifications (BOSIET/FOET, HUET) and well control awareness (IWCF/IADC) where applicable.
  • Demonstrated track record of implementing HSE management systems, leading audits and improving contractor HSE performance.
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