Assessment of Health, Safety, and Environment Management Systems in Gas Field Operations in Ondo State

The implementation of effective Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) management systems is a professional cornerstone of responsible gas field operations in Nigeria. This study assesses the design and implementation effectiveness of HSE management systems at two gas field operations in Ondo State, located within the Ondo South onshore production area. The research employs a gap analysis methodology benchmarking the studied operations' HSE management systems against the ISO 45001 occupational health and safety management standard and the ISO 14001 environmental management system standard, as well as the requirements of the NUPRC's Environmental Guidelines and Standards for the Petroleum Industry in Nigeria (EGASPIN). Assessment dimensions include hazard identification and risk assessment processes, management of change procedures, contractor HSE management, incident investigation quality, environmental monitoring programme adequacy, and HSE leadership culture indicators. Semi-structured interviews are conducted with HSE managers, operations supervisors, and field workers to triangulate documentation findings with practical implementation reality. Findings indicate significant gaps between documented HSE management system requirements and field-level implementation, particularly in contractor HSE management and management of change processes. HSE performance leading indicator reporting is found to be underdeveloped relative to lagging indicator measurement. Recommendations include development of a contractor HSE pre-qualification system, enhanced HSE leadership coaching for frontline supervisors, and implementation of a balanced HSE performance scorecard incorporating both leading and lagging indicators. Keywords: HSE management, gas field operations, Ondo State, ISO 45001, occupational safety.