By Martin Ekpeke
Nigerian Health, Safety and Environmental (HSE) professional Emmanuel Ijeoma was recognised at the 2017 Beacon of Information and Communication Technology (BoICT) Awards, where he received the Excellence Award in Environmental Health and Safety Leadership.
The recognition marked Ijeoma’s second honour at the BoICT Awards, following his earlier recognition as Outstanding Safety and Environmental Professional of the Year in 2014.
According to a notification from the organisers, Nigeria CommunicationsWeek, Ijeoma emerged with the highest number of votes among seven candidates nominated in the 2017 category.
He received the award at the BoICT Awards Gala Night held at Eko Hotels & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, on April 22, 2017.
Reflecting on the recognition, Ijeoma said: “I’m overwhelmed. I was not expecting to win because I thought I didn’t do enough to get a pat on the back, much less a recognition. But I have learnt never to play small or underrate myself, but to keep making deliberate efforts.”
HSE Coordination and Field Leadership
At the time of the recognition, Ijeoma was serving as a Health, Safety and Environmental Inspector/Advisor with DESICON Engineering Nigeria Limited, where his responsibilities extended across HSE coordination, field inspection, workforce safety, regulatory compliance and operational risk management.
Working within complex oil and gas environments, he coordinated, supervised and inspected HSE activities across multiple operational locations, including Tunu, Benisede, Opukushi and Obotobo.
His responsibilities included conducting routine workplace and equipment inspections, identifying hazards and unsafe conditions, assessing operational risks and following up on corrective actions to ensure identified deficiencies were properly addressed.
He coordinated safety inductions and orientation programmes for newly mobilised employees, contractors and visitors, while also supporting toolbox talks, pre-job safety meetings and workforce hazard-awareness programmes. He worked closely with supervisors, contractors and operational teams to ensure that personnel understood applicable HSE requirements before commencing work.
As part of workforce mobilisation and marine-safety requirements, Ijeoma coordinated and supervised swimming competency tests involving Saipem personnel and contractor employees, with records covering more than 3,000 personnel.
His responsibilities also included monitoring compliance with permit-to-work requirements, personal protective equipment standards, lifting and hoisting controls, electrical safety requirements, access control, housekeeping, material storage, emergency preparedness and other critical workplace safety procedures.
In addition, Ijeoma maintained HSE documentation and records to support operational monitoring and ensure evidence was readily available for both internal and external audits. This included inspection records, induction documentation, training records, risk assessments, corrective-action tracking and other HSE compliance documentation.
He also supported incident and near-miss reporting, participated in investigations where required, monitored corrective and preventive actions and assisted in communicating lessons learned to reduce the likelihood of recurrence.
Leaving Footprints in Major Oil and Gas Projects
Between 2014 and 2017, Ijeoma developed significant experience supporting HSE activities associated with major oil and gas construction operations, including the Otumara–Saghara–Escravos Associated Gas Gathering (AGS) Pipeline Project, Southern Swamp Associated Gas Station, (SSAGS) associated with Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria operations.
Working initially through Saipem Contracting Nigeria Limited and subsequently with DESICON Engineering Nigeria Limited, his responsibilities involved the coordination and supervision of HSE activities associated with pipeline construction and related operations in challenging marine and swamp environments.
His project experience included safety oversight for pipeline construction covering more than 12 kilometres, as well as HSE considerations associated with Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) activities across the Escravos River.
Ijeoma participated in HSE case workshops, Hazard and Operability (HAZOP) studies, Job Hazard Analyses and risk-assessment exercises, contributing to the identification of hazards and implementation of appropriate controls before and during high-risk activities.
His responsibilities extended to contractor mobilisation, permit-to-work compliance and audits, marine-safety assurance, environmental compliance, site inspections and verification of safety requirements before work commenced.
He also supported hazard-awareness and risk-control activities involving lifting and hoisting operations, electrical hazards, hazardous materials, equipment movement, material storage, access control, working around water and other occupational and environmental risks associated with oil and gas construction.
The project environment required continuous coordination among clients, contractors, subcontractors, supervisors and frontline personnel. Within this environment, Ijeoma contributed to ensuring that hazards were identified, risks assessed and appropriate control measures implemented before and during work activities.
Building Experience Across the Oil and Gas Industry
Ijeoma began developing his professional HSE experience with Rica Marine Nigeria Limited, where he worked as a Safety Officer and gained practical exposure to occupational safety and marine-related operations.
He subsequently joined Saipem Contracting Nigeria Limited, part of the Eni Group, where he worked as a Safety Officer and progressively assumed greater supervisory responsibilities between 2014 and 2016.
At Saipem, his responsibilities included conducting workplace inspections, safety inductions, toolbox talks and pre-job safety meetings; supporting equipment pre-mobilisation inspections; identifying hazards; monitoring compliance with established safety procedures; and assisting operational teams in implementing appropriate risk-control measures.
He participated in the supervision of daily site activities and worked alongside other HSE and operational specialists on industrial safety, machinery and equipment safety, hazardous-material controls and other workplace risks.
He also supported managers and supervisors in documenting, reviewing and analysing workplace events, including occupational illnesses, injuries, lost-time incidents and property-damage events, contributing to the identification of trends and implementation of corrective and preventive measures.
His growing field experience and demonstrated HSE capabilities subsequently led to his role with DESICON Engineering Nigeria Limited as a Health, Safety and Environmental Inspector/Advisor, where he assumed broader responsibilities for coordinating and monitoring HSE activities across multiple operational locations.
Continuing Professional Development
Alongside his field experience, Ijeoma continued to develop his technical knowledge through professional HSE education and competency-based training.
His professional development included training through the Institute of Safety Professionals of Nigeria, including HSE competency programmes and the HSE Competence Development Course – Level 3.
His additional professional training covered areas including fire safety and fire-warden responsibilities, Environmental Impact Assessment, permit-to-work competency, confined-space entry, authorised gas testing, Job Hazard Analysis and other occupational health, safety and environmental disciplines.
Ijeoma also holds a Bachelor of Science in Management from the University of Port Harcourt, providing him with a combination of management education and practical HSE experience.
Recognition of a Developing HSE Career
By the time he received the 2017 Excellence Award in Environmental Health and Safety Leadership, Ijeoma had already accumulated several years of progressive HSE experience involving marine operations, oil and gas construction, pipeline projects, contractor safety, workforce mobilisation, field inspections and multi-location HSE coordination.
The 2017 recognition, coming after his first BoICT honour in 2014, represented another milestone in a career increasingly centred on hazard identification, risk assessment, incident prevention, regulatory and procedural compliance, workforce engagement and the systematic management of occupational health, safety and environmental risks.
His subsequent professional development and leadership responsibilities have continued to broaden that experience across different operational environments while maintaining the central objective that has defined his HSE career: protecting people, preventing incidents and promoting safer, more responsible workplaces.