Poll results reveal opportunities for improving offshore safety in oil and gas industry
By Ariana Hurtado, Editor-in-Chief
Offshore surveyed more than 100 executives, managers, consultants and engineers in the offshore oil and gas industry to assess what area or focus could present the greatest opportunity for improving safety outcomes in offshore oil and gas operations.
The poll was live on Offshore's website from June 18 to July 1, and it was also shared in the Offshore Daily e-newsletter and on Offshore's social media channels.
In nearly a tie, 38% of poll respondents voted for improved safety culture and leadership engagement, and 34% selected enhanced real-time monitoring and automation of safety systems.
Of lesser focus, 13% voted for better integration of data analytics for predictive safety insights; 8% selected increased frequency and realism of safety drills and training; and the remaining 8% picked upgraded and more ergonomic personal protective equipment (PPE).
About the poll participants
Offshore is a global resource for the offshore energy industry, and the geographical location of the June poll participants reflected that. The majority of respondents are based in the US (34%) and the UK (14%), with the rest from Brazil (7%), India (4%), Singapore (4%), Mexico (4%), Nigeria (3%), Spain (3%), Canada (2%) and Denmark (2%).
Of those from the US, 16 poll participants were from Texas, five from Louisiana, two from California and one from Washington, Montana, Michigan, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Virginia, Alabama, Florida and Oklahoma.
Of the 101 total poll participants, the majority chose to remain anonymous. However, about a third of the poll respondents provided background information about themselves. Of those, 43.33% identified themselves as working with a consulting company engaged in projects or providing services to oil and/or gas companies, and 13.33% said they were with a major oil and gas operating company. To name a few, some of the poll respondents were from Shell, Exmar Offshore, Pemex, Valaris Ltd. and BW Offshore, among others.
As for job titles, 30% of that small group of poll respondents identified themselves as consultants; 23.33% selected executive management (CEO, president, COO, owner, vice president, managing director, etc.); 20% chose management (production manager, engineering manager, exploration manager); and 16.67% said they were in the engineering field. Other roles held by those poll participants included field professional (3.33%), purchasing agent/manager (3.33%) and other (3.33%).
Coming soon!
The Offshore editorial team is preparing a special report on recent technological advances in offshore safety systems and personal protective equipment (PPE), and the challenges that remain in maintaining and improving offshore safety. This special report will be published within the July/August 2025 issue of Offshore magazine as well as published as a standalone e-book in August in our Exclusive Content section of the website.
Take a sneak peak at some of the "Safety Systems and PPE Special Report" content below. Note, you must be a registered user to view an exclusive article in its entirety.
Exclusive content:
About the Author
Ariana Hurtado
Editor-in-Chief
With more than a decade of copy editing, project management and journalism experience, Ariana Hurtado is a seasoned managing editor born and raised in the energy capital of the world—Houston, Texas. She currently serves as editor-in-chief of Offshore magazine, overseeing the editorial team, its content and the brand's growth from a digital perspective.
Utilizing her editorial expertise, she manages digital media for the Offshore team. She also helps create and oversee new special industry reports and revolutionizes existing supplements, while also contributing content to Offshore magazine, its newsletters and website as a copy editor and writer.
Prior to her current role, she served as Offshore's editor and director of special reports from April 2022 to December 2024. Before joining Offshore, she served as senior managing editor of publications with Hart Energy. Prior to her nearly nine years with Hart, she worked on the copy desk as a news editor at the Houston Chronicle.
She graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Houston.