Safety
We are committed to delivering energy responsibly and safely, preventing harm to our employees, contractors, local communities and the environment.
Our Goal Zero ambition
Our Goal Zero ambition is to achieve no harm and no leaks across all of our operations. Everyone working for Shell strives to achieve this goal each day.
To achieve Goal Zero, we focus on the three areas of safety hazards which have the highest risks for our type of activities: personal, process, and transport safety.
We want to help improve safety performance throughout the energy industry and work in partnership with industry trade associations and professional bodies to share our safety experience, standards and knowledge with other operators and contractors.
Personal safety
Safety is our top priority. Everyone who works for us, or with us, has an important part to play in making Shell a safer place to work. We expect them to comply with the safety rules and regulations relevant to their work, to intervene to prevent unsafe conditions, and to respect fellow workers and the communities in which we work.
Find out more about personal safety at Shell
Process safety
Process safety starts at the early design phase of building facilities and continues throughout their life cycle, making sure they are operated safely, well maintained, and inspected regularly to identify and deal with any potential process safety hazards.
Transport safety
Road transport is a necessary part of many of our business activities. In total Shell employees and contractors drive almost 1 billion kilometres every year in more than 70 countries – this is equivalent to 70 laps of the earth each day! Our road safety philosophy focuses on the areas of risk such as the capability of the driver, condition of the vehicle, road conditions and local environment. We also try to reduce the need to use road transport in the first place: the safest journey is the one not taken.
Learn more about transport safety at Shell
Discover more about our road safety programmes in communities where we operate
Safety Day film 2021
Title: Safety Day 2021 - FC2 -1
Duration: 5:04 minutes
Description:
Shell is adopting the industry Life-Saving Rules. This film shows how central Life-Saving Rules are to our colleagues every day.
Safety Day 2021 - FC2 -1 Transcript
[Background music plays]
Sound of Shell: a five-note mnemonic featuring rhythmic, uplifting instrumental music and synthesised musical effects.
[Video footage]
Timelapse footage of the sun setting over a desert landscape, a golden sun setting behind low dark mountains on the far horizon, turning patchy cloud cover from gold to crimson. Text appears between two narrow vertical bars that fill with yellow colour.
[Text displays]
Shell is adopting the industry Life-Saving Rules.
[Animation sequence]
The text and yellow bars disappear as circular blue and white safety signs depicting the nine Shell Life-Saving Rules appear in groups of three to form a diamond formation against the darkening sunset. They are, in sequence, Bypassing Safety Controls, Confined Space, Working at Height, Line of Fire, Driving, Energy Isolation, Work Authorisation, Safe Mechanical Lifting, and Hot Work.
[Video footage]
The safety signs disappear as text appears between two narrow vertical bars that fill with yellow colour.
[Text displays]
This film shows how central Life-Saving Rules are to our colleagues, everyday
[Video footage]
The text and yellow bars disappear as the sun finally dips lows behind the black mountainous horizon, with just a fiery glow remaining where land and sky meet.
[Background Music Stops]
[Text displays]
Odessa, Texas USA
[Audio]
Tweeting of birds and a dog barking in the distance.
[Background music plays]
Sound of Shell mnemonic plays as soft, lilting piano music accompanied by string instruments.
[Lena Soliz]
Every day, I get up at four in the morning.
[Video footage]
Slowly panning pre-dawn footage of a well-illuminated house, cars parked in the driveway. Close-up of Lena Soliz at her front door as her husband sees her off, travel mug and workbags in her hands and another bag slung over her shoulder.
[Lena Soliz]
Bye.
[Lena’s husband]
Bye.
[Lena Soliz]
Be careful on the road.
[Lena’s husband]
All right.
[Video footage]
Lena’s husband shuts the door as she walks down the dark driveway.
Interview with Lena Soliz
[Title]
Maintenance Supervisor
[Text displays]
Lena Soliz, Maintenance Supervisor Shell
[Video footage]
Close-up of Lena Soliz, speaking to the off-camera interviewer.
[Lena Soliz]
I believe in the life-saving rules. Each of those rules were created because people got hurt, or fatalities came across our industry that should not have.
[Video footage]
Slowly panning dawn footage of a quiet carpark at a small single-storey building at a Shell facility. A sign in the foreground, emblazoned with the Shell pecten, reads ‘’Shell Exploration and Production, Kermit, Field Office, 610 Highway 115’’.
[Lena Soliz]
Usually, early mornings, I do my boardwalk with my team.
[Video footage]
A brightly lit office filled with work cubicles. Looking across a cubicle partition, we see Lena and a colleague at a wall-to-wall whiteboard covered in writing in red and black.
[Audio]
Lena and her colleagues greet each other good morning.
[Lena Soliz]
Daily we do these certain critical meetings.
[Video footage]
Looking past Lena, her colleague writes on the whiteboard while she and another colleague on the far side of the room look on. Close-up of notes on the whiteboard which list maintenance and inspection duties for different crews and areas.
[Lena Soliz]
Be careful. Don’t be ashamed to raise your hand. And if you get called out, take it in stride. It’s learning. It’s all good. What’s what we’re here for.
[Video footage]
Looking over a cubicle partition, we cut to medium-long footage of Lena, travel cup in hand, addressing offscreen colleagues.
[Background music plays]
The music transitions smoothly into guitar music, picks up tempo and is joined by string instruments and synthesised musical effects.
[Yazid Othman]
I run for inspiration.
[Video footage]
Timelapse aerial footage of a sunny Singapore Harbourfront, ships in the bay in the distance, and a quiet harbour flanked by green areas and tall skyscrapers in the foreground.
[Text displays]
Singapore
[Yazid Othman]
It keeps me fresh for the day and keeps me ready and hyped up.
[Video footage]
Close-up of Yazid Othman’s feet as he jogs along. Cut to view of Yazid from behind as he jogs along a wide waterfront promenade. Next, the camera keeps pace just ahead of Yazid as he jogs along the promenade, a few people visible milling around in the distance.
Interview with Yazid Othman
[Title]
Cluster CSL
[Video footage]
Close-up of Yazid Othman, dressed in safety gear, speaking to the off-camera interviewer.
[Text displays]
Yazid Othman, HSSE Supervisor, Arteak Ltd
[Yazid Othman]
We guarantee ourselves that we are going to work safely and really and bring Life-Saving Rules into part of the culture of the daily life affair.
[Video footage]
Close-up of a sheaf of papers in Yazid’s hands. He is standing in a Shell plant, a colleague, also in safety gear, alongside him. Next, we see Yazid and two colleagues, all in safety gear and face masks, standing behind four bright orange safety cones and a fire box on a walkway in the plant, pipes, railings and metal infrastructure all around them.
[Text displays]
Working at height
[Animation sequence]
A circular blue and white safety sign for Working at Height appears centre screen as a simple drawing of a man attached to a safety line, standing on the edge of a drop.
[Video footage]
From behind, we see Yazid and a colleague looking up towards two workers on tall scaffolding on the open platform of a plant site. Open ocean is visible beyond the end of the platform.
[Yazid Othman]
Because this is your last line of defence, okay?
[Video footage]
Close-up of Yazid’s gloved hand grasping a safety line and carabiner attached to the safety harness of a colleague, ocean and harbour infrastructure are visible as a blurry background. Cut to upward-looking angle from just behind Yazid as he gives a thumbs up to the two workers on the scaffolding platform. One of the workers gives a thumbs-up in return.
[Yazid Othman]
This is Khazam, my colleague. Our job is to ensure that workers are working safe onsite.
[Video footage]
Narrow, centred screen showing medium footage of Yazid and Khazam looking directly at us. Both are wearing full safety gear and face masks. Yazid gestures to Khazam as he addresses the camera. Next, we see medium footage of Yazid speaking to a colleague at a busy plant site. All the workers are in full security gear and face masks.
[Yazid Othman]
In the early days, the workers will call us policemen.
[Video footage]
Close-up of Yazid Othman, dressed in orange overalls, speaking to the off-camera interviewer.
[Yazid Othman]
Now they call us friend.
[Video footage]
The camera pans around showing medium footage of the plant site and Yazid and a colleague, both in full security gear and face masks. The colleague puts his arm around Yazid’s shoulders in a friendly and familiar way, and the two men walk off talking. Close-up of Yazid Othman, dressed in orange overalls, speaking to the off-camera interviewer.
[Yazid Othman]
Colleagues, I want them to feel comfortable in sharing HSE issues.
[Video footage]
Medium footage of Yazid and his colleague, both in safety gear and masks, chatting easily and laughing while leaning on a railing at the plant. Then we see medium footage of Yazid and two colleagues chatting at the plant. One of the men checks his walkie-talkie and Yazid checks his watch as they talk.
[Yazid Othman]
The barrier of fear is being cut away.
[Video footage]
Close-up of Yazid Othman, dressed in orange overalls, speaking to the off-camera interviewer. He smiles and nods as he finishes talking.
[Background Music stops]
[Background music plays]
Sound of Shell, featuring a twangy and moody but subdued electrical guitar, plays at first and then picks up tempo and volume.
[Video footage]
Timelapse aerial footage of a long, straight road running through arid scrubland and disappearing into the bright sun low on the distant horizon.
[Text displays]
Chinchilla, Queensland, Australia
[Frank Marealle]
I personally drive around 2,000km a month.
[Video footage]
Medium footage of Frank Marealle as the camera pans down to show him buckling himself into the driver’s seat. The camera follows his movement as he straightens back up in the driver’s seat.
Interview with Frank Marealle
[Title]
Wells Ops Supervisor
[Video footage]
Close-up of Frank Marealle, dressed in heavy-duty jacket with reflective strip, speaking to the off-camera interviewer.
[Text displays]
Frank Marealle, Wells Ops Supervisor, QGC
[Frank Marealle]
It’s very important to ensure each and every trip that I personally take is a safe trip. There’s always that fear something could go wrong.
[Video footage]
From just over Frank’s shoulder in the cab of his pickup truck, we see open road ahead in a heavily forested area. An oncoming pickup truck passes on his right. Cut to a close-up of Frank’s profile as he keeps a close eye on the road and his rear-view mirror.
[Text displays]
Driving
[Animation sequence]
A circular blue and white safety sign for Driving, showing symbols for buckling up, and not speeding or using mobile phones, appears centre screen, just above the text.
[Video footage]
From ground level, the camera follows Frank’s pickup truck as it approaches and passes by along a dirt road in a rural area. The day is overcast, and Frank has his truck’s lights on.
[Frank Marealle]
That switches us on all the time.
[Video footage]
Close-up of Frank Marealle, dressed in orange shirt with reflective strips, talking to the off-camera interviewer. Next, low-angle, rapid, jerky zoom-in on Frank’s pickup truck in a parking bay in a well-lit parking lot at night, dark-blue, cloudy sky beyond. Cut to a close-up of Frank’s profile as he drives along in the dusk, keeping a close eye on the road. Then, from the vantage point of the pickup truck’s dashboard, we see a brightly lit semi-trailer truck and container pass by on a dark rural dirt road. Back to an extreme close-up of Frank’s profile as he drives, his full attention on the road ahead. Cut to medium footage of Frank in the well-lit parking lot at night, having just alighted from his truck and pocketing his keys in his heavy-duty jacket. Frank and a colleague, also in safety gear, seated in a site office. Next, from ground level, a sequence of rapid angle and distance transitions as the camera follows Frank’s truck as it passes by on a rural dirt road. The light is poor, and Frank’s truck’s lights are on. Then, time-lapse footage, from Frank’s truck’s dashboard, of the open road ahead as he drives through rural bushland, overcast sky above. A sequence of night-time footage of Frank’s hands unlocking a chain on a gate in a rural area, then Frank illuminated by his truck’s lights as he swings open the gate, then a rapid, jerky zoom-in on a brightly lit construction vehicle, and, finally, a sweeping pan across a well-lit construction site surrounded by inky darkness. Medium night-time footage of Frank in a rural area, dressed in safety gear, talking to a construction worker. A semi-trailer truck is visible in the background.
[Frank Marealle]
Since Shell initiated the Life-Saving Rules, we have seen a reduction in fatalities and serious injuries.
[Video footage]
From the angle of just behind the wheel arch, we follow timelapse footage of a pickup truck’s progress along a dirt road in rural bushland, blue, cloud-filled sky on the horizon. Medium footage of a young construction worker with construction equipment behind him. Outdoors footage as the camera pans right showing three construction workers in safety gear in discussion, surrounded by plant equipment. Zoom in on the three construction workers as two of them bend to inspect more closely a piece of plant equipment. The camera pans down to show one of the men pointing out something on the equipment to his colleague.
[Franke Marealle]
At the end of the day, I’ll come out here to work, and I’ll be safe, and my colleagues will be safe. There’s that sense of somebody is looking out for you.
[Video footage]
Close-up of Frank talking to the off-camera interviewer. From through the front windscreen, we see a close-up of Frank at night as he gets into the driver’s seat of his pickup truck and shuts the door. From over Frank’s left shoulder in the dimly-lit cab of his pickup truck, we see night-time footage of him approaching and greeting a man in safety gear at a checkpoint. Close-up of Frank’s eyes in the rear-view mirror as he concentrates on the night-time road ahead.
[Background Music stops]
[Background music plays]
Sound of Shell plays with a distinctive North American cowboy twang, then transitions into light, uplifting piano and strings music.
[Video footage]
Speeding along a rural road, scrubland in the foreground, and a plant visible against a cloudy blue sky. Next, a close-up of Lena Soliz’s profile as she concentrates on driving.
[Lena Soliz]
A team the size of what I have keeps me busy, keeps me challenged. Crane operations, working under suspended loads.
[Video footage]
The camera pans slowly around showing Lena and a small team of construction workers, all in safety gear, gathered around in discussion at a dusty open plant site, cloudy blue sky visible beyond. Medium footage of Lena nodding as the camera pans left showing a few of her colleagues in turn. A close-up of two men using a large spanner and torque wrench respectively to turn bolts on opposing sides of a horizontal pipe in the open-air plant site. The camera pans upward to show medium footage of the construction worker handling the spanner.
[Lena Soliz]
You have Line of Fires that you didn’t expect.
[Text displays]
Line of Fire
[Animated sequence]
A circular blue and white safety sign for Line of Fire, showing a little human figure in the centre of three potentially risky scenarios, appears centre screen, just above the text.
[Lena Soliz]
There’s no potential for Line of Fire from pressure or anything like that right now.
[Video footage]
Medium footage of Lena Soliz, dressed in safety gear, speaking to the off-camera interviewer. Behind her the two men can be seen working on the horizontal pipe.
[Text displays]
Work Authorisation
[Animated sequence]
A circular blue and white safety sign for Work Authorisation, showing a clipboard with tick marks next to lines, appears centre screen, just above the text.
[Lena Soliz]
I’m learning something every day. I am, hopefully, helping and teaching them. This is a passion.
[Video footage]
Medium footage of Lena Soliz, dressed in safety gear, paying close attention to two construction workers at the open-air plant site. One of the men has a clipboard in his hands and is speaking to Lena. The camera draws out slightly to show another man in the group as well.
[Yazid Othman]
We have 70 to 80 workers currently working on a daily basis. We do have entry into a confined space.
[Video footage]
Next, a close-up of Yazid Othman, wearing orange safety overalls, speaking to the off-camera interviewer.
[Yazid Othman]
We do have entry into a confined space.
[Video footage]
Close-up of Yazid and two colleagues, all clad in full safety gear and face masks, outdoors at a plant site. Yazid points at something off-camera just past one of the men, and they then move off in that direction. Cut to medium footage of Yazid in full safety gear and face mask approaching colleagues at a covered section of the plant. They fist-bump, and the camera follows Yazid as he comes to stand alongside the colleague at a railing.
[Yazid Othman]
For confined space, we have Confined Space LSR.
[Video footage]
Upward-angled close-up of Yazid, in full safety gear and face mask, speaking to off-camera colleagues. Tall fuel tanks are silhouetted against a blue sky behind him. Cut to rear-angle mid-view footage of Yazid speaking to his colleagues.
[Text displays]
Confined Space
[Animated sequence]
A circular blue and white safety sign for Confined Space appears centre screen as two little human figures, one aboveground and the other in a small hole in the ground.
[Yazid Othman]
So the workers do know that before they enter a confined space, tests have to be done.
[Video footage]
The camera follows a Confined Space Attendant, dressed in safety gear, as he crouches down in front of an access hole in the side of a large metal structure at the plant site. He reaches inside the aperture to test conditions within with a sensor attached to a handheld meter. A colleague in a different coloured uniform stands by to monitor the situation. Next, looking down over the Confined Space Attendant’s right shoulder, we see a close-up of the handheld meter in his gloved hands as he withdraws the sensor from the hole.
[Text displays]
Work Authorisation
[Animated sequence]
A circular blue and white safety sign for Work Authorisation, showing a clipboard with tick marks next to lines, appears centre screen, just above the text.
[Yazid Othman]
Work permits have to be obtained.
[Video footage]
Mid-view footage of the Confined Space Attendant, who wears a red armband denoting his role, and his colleague in the different coloured uniform checking off things on a clipboard at the plant site. Next, footage of the colleague in the different coloured uniform crouched down in front of the hole in the metal structure. He gives the thumbs-up to the Confined Space Attendant, who returns a thumbs-up, before entering the hole.
[Yazid Othman]
That is important to go back home safely.
[Video footage]
Close-up of Yazid Othman, wearing orange safety overalls, speaking to the off-camera interviewer.
[Background Music stops]
[Frank Marealle]
My two young kids are so used to me telling them, ‘’Please be careful with that, please be careful with that’’, now they’re the ones watching out for me.
[Video footage]
Rear-angle footage of Frank barbecuing on a wooden balcony while his two young children, a boy and a girl, play just inside the sliding doors leading onto the balcony.
[Background music plays]
Sound of Shell plays as gentle piano and strings music.
[Frank Marealle’s daughter]
Dad, be careful.
[Frank Marealle]
Of course, I’ll be careful.
[Video footage]
Webcam footage of Frank facing the camera, his young daughter hugs him tightly around his neck from behind.
[Frank Marealle]
I can’t imagine what it would do if something was to happen to me. That’s the most challenging aspect about this job.
[Video footage]
Mobile phone footage taken by Frank of him, his wife and children all smiling and safely buckled up inside a vehicle. The children are in child car seats. Next, footage of Frank lying next to his young son in the children’s bedroom as he reads them a Dr Seuss bedtime story. He closes the book and kisses his son goodnight.
[Yazid Othman]
I have one more person to go back to at the end of the day. I’m getting married.
[Video footage]
Close-up of a smiling Yazid Othman, dressed in orange safety overalls, speaking to the off-camera interviewer. Close-up of Yazid and his fiancée on the sofa, presumably watching television. She snuggles, smiling, into his shoulder. Extreme close-up of Yazid and his fiancée’s intertwined fingers as they hold hands on the sofa.
[Yazid Othman]
I will be the one who will be going around spotting the hazards for the family.
[Video footage]
Close-up of Yazid Othman, dressed in orange safety overalls, speaking to the off-camera interviewer. Close-up of Yazid’s fiancée as she looks affectionately and nods at an off-screen Yazid.
[Yazid Othman]
Keeping them safe.
[Video footage]
Close-up of a smiling Yazid Othman, dressed in orange safety overalls, speaking to the off-camera interviewer. Next, a close-up of Yazid and his fiancée eating dinner at a table in a small but smart kitchen in an apartment. In the background, an older woman works with her back to the camera at the apartment window.
[Lena Soliz]
Our industry is hazardous. Things happen. My husband, Andy, was in an industrial accident. He opened up a valve to bleed off. There was no way they could’ve known that the valve was busted inside.
[Video footage]
Close-up of Lena Soliz talking to the off-camera interviewer. Then, medium footage of Lena kissing her husband, Andy, as he opens the door for her to leave in the early morning. A merrily decorated Christmas tree stands just inside the doorway. Andy watches her go through the narrow blinds on a glass door panel.
[Lena Soliz]
Instead of bleeding like normal, it popped. It got his arm and part of his body.
[Video footage]
Close-up of Lena Soliz talking to the off-camera interviewer. The camera angle shifts to an extreme close-up of Lena’s right profile as she speaks to the off-camera interviewer. Extreme close-up of a framed colour photograph on a bookcase of a happy Lena and Andy in an outdoor scene.
[Lena Soliz]
Had he not followed the Line of Fire Life-Saving Rules at the time, it may have killed him.
[Video footage]
Close-up of Lena Soliz talking to the off-camera interviewer. Another close-up of two black-and-white framed photographs on a console table of Andy, and a happy Lena and Andy together.
[Lena Soliz]
It reels back to what could happen today to any of my team members that are out there. It makes me more careful. It makes me take the Life-Saving Rules more to heart.
[Video footage]
Extreme close-up of Lena Soliz’s right profile as she talks to the off-camera interviewer. She gestures behind her as she makes mention of her team. Cut to close-up of Lena talking to the off-camera interviewer. Next, upward-angled panning footage of Lena in hardhat and sunglasses, smiling and looking down at the camera from over a walkway railing at the outdoor plant site.
[Background music plays]
The music picks up tempo as guitar music which eventually becomes accompanied by strings.
[Yazid Othman]
I’ve told you my story. Now it’s up to you.
[Video footage]
Close-up of Yazid Othman, in orange safety overalls, speaking to the camera.
[Text displays]
What do the Life-Saving Rules mean to you?
[Animation sequence]
Text appears between two narrow vertical bars that fill with yellow colour.
[Frank Marealle]
What do the Life-Saving Rules mean to you?
[Video footage]
Close-up of Frank Marealle, in orange, reflective safety shirt, speaking to the camera.
[Text displays]
How do you help each other to comply with the rules?
[Animation sequence]
Text appears between two narrow vertical bars that fill with yellow colour.
[Yazid Othman]
How do you help each other to comply with the rules?
[Video footage]
Close-up of Yazid Othman, in orange safety overalls, speaking to the camera.
[Text displays]
How do you learn together and make the Life-Saving Rules real for your team?
[Animation sequence]
Text appears between two narrow vertical bars that fill with yellow colour.
[Lena Soliz]
How do you learn together and make the Life-Saving Rules real for your team?
[Video footage]
Close-up of Lena Soliz speaking to the camera.
[Yazid Othman]
Let’s get the conversation started. Enjoy yours.
[Video footage]
Close-up of a smiling Yazid Othman, in orange safety overalls, speaking to the camera.
[Animation sequence]
The screen fades to white as circular blue and white safety signs depicting the nine Shell Life-Saving Rules appear in groups of three to form a diamond formation. They are, in sequence, Bypassing Safety Controls, Confined Space, Working at Height, Line of Fire, Driving, Energy Isolation, Work Authorisation, Safe Mechanical Lifting, and Hot Work. The safety signs fade to a white screen.
[Audio]
Shell Pecten jingle
[Graphic]
Shell Pecten centred on a white background.
[Text displays]
Copyright, Shell International Limited 2021
Employee health and welfare
We believe that good working and living conditions help to bring about a safer and more productive working environment.
Find out more about how we try to keep our employees and contractors safe and well
Product stewardship
We produce crude oil and natural gas and refine them into fuels, lubricants and chemicals that are used to make many everyday items. We try to take care that these products are safe, from production to disposal. We call this product stewardship.
To understand and manage the potential health, safety and environmental risks presented by our products, we evaluate them carefully. We work closely with our customers and suppliers, monitor any changes in the science behind our products, and support research if it helps us to reduce their risks even further.