Reducing Accidents Through the Implementation of the Minimum Industry Safety Training for Downstream Operations Mistdo in the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry

The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), the Petroleum Regulatory agency of the Nigerian oil and gas industry is mandated by law to investigate accidents in the industry. Data obtained from the oil and gas accident database from the Department of Petroleum Resources shows that accidents in the downstream sector contribute about 70%, when compared to the upstream sector. One of the reoccurring root causes from investigations point to administrative barrier failure – which is a lack of training and re-training of staff in the downstream sector on workplace safety. Against this background, the DPR introduced the Minimum Industry Safety Training for Downstream Operations (MISTDO) as part of the Safety Audit Clearance policy launched to drive safety in the downstream sector. MISTDO is a basic safety training which must be undertaken by all personnel working in the downstream sector of the Nigerian oil and gas industry. This paper reviews the recorded accidents that have occurred in the downstream sector between 2014 – 2019; examines the MISTDO courses for the various workers in downstream facilities; analyses the MISTDO tripartite model (Training provider, Operator and DPR) adopted; the effects of implementation of MISTDO and concludes with the value additions of the MISTDO program to the industry.