A Comparative Analysis of Offshore Oil and Gas Workers Health and Safety Regulatory Regime in Nigeria And the United Kingdom

The improvement of health and safety conditions in the workplace remains a top priority for both operators and host governments in the oil and gas industries around the world. The industry in modern days is constantly experiencing an array of health and safety challenges as evidenced in major accidents, thereby making the need to improve safety of operations paramount. At the root of these health and safety challenges is the lack of an effective legal and regulatory framework for health and safety in the petroleum industry. It is on the strength of the above statement that we propose reforming the Nigerian regulatory health
and safety regime as it relates to offshore petroleum drilling and production operations. To accomplish this objective, we are considering the evolution of health and safety regulation in the United Kingdom and drawing lessons for Nigeria to achieve improved risk governance. It is our argument that this will not only improve the safety of workers but will provide an appropriate balance between energy maximisation and health and safety.