Tech, training and climate response key to Mena energy workforce safety

With record-breaking heat and rising safety risks, energy firms must adopt Al, climate adaptation, and HSE reforms to protect workers and operations across the region, Peter McGettrick tells OGN

- ABDULAZIZ KHATTAK

WITH climate extremes and geopolitical risks rising, energy firms in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) need to urgently upgrade safety protocols. The region, warming nearly twice the global average, faces mounting threats to worker health and operational stability.

In an exclusive interview with OGN energy magazine, Peter McGettrick, Chairman, British Safety Council, stresses the need for adaptive work shifts, heat-monitoring wearables, and Al-driven hazard detection.

He suggests these must be paired with worker training, policy reforms, and long-term climate planning to be effective.

Digital tools like drones and real-time sensors offer promise but must complement human oversight.

Below are excerpts from the interview:

How can energy operators globally bolster workforce resilience amid climate driven extreme heat, especially given that the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region is warming nearly twice as fast as the world average?

Energy operators must prioritise adaptive work schedules, hydration protocols, and shaded rest areas to combat extreme heat.

In the MENA region, where warming is accelerating, investing in wearable tech to monitor vital signs and heat stress is crucial, while workforce training on heat illness symptoms and emergency response should be mandatory.

And in the long-term, companies should integrate climate risk into operational planning and infrastructure design.

Furthermore, collaboration with local governments to align labour laws with climate realities will also be key.

We should know that resilience hinges on proactive, tech-enabled, and worker-centric strategies that protect health while maintaining productivity in increasingly hostile environments.