Industrial Safety in the Oil and Gas Sector: Over 470 Facilities Inspected in the First Quarter
2026-04-08 11:40:00 / News
To date, a total of 471 hazardous production facilities have been registered in the oil and gas sector across the republic. Most of these belong to major industrial enterprises. Specifically, there are 155 facilities in JSC "Uzbekneftegaz", 193 in the FE LLC "Sanoat Energetika Guruhi", 14 in LLC "Lukoil Uzbekistan Operating Company", and 109 facilities in various other business entities.
During the reporting period, inspection specialists conducted 220 preventive events to strengthen safety measures at these facilities. Additionally, 54 desk audits were performed using modern monitoring methods. These monitoring processes serve not only to identify deficiencies but also to prevent potential industrial risks through timely remediation.
As a result of the preventive measures, 722 instances of violations of regulatory acts and technical regulations in the field were identified. Strict instructions were issued to the heads of enterprises and organizations for each identified deficiency, and their implementation was placed under supervision. Simultaneously, 25 applications and documents related to industrial safety were examined within the framework of licensing and permitting procedures.
The processes of drilling new wells and repairing existing ones were also under close scrutiny by the Inspectorate. Twenty-three project documents for drilling oil and gas wells were reviewed. Specialists directly participated in drilling operations 7 times and in capital well repair processes 17 times, formalizing relevant inspection acts. Furthermore, 15 mining allotment acts were prepared for field development.
Out of 33 documents submitted for well decommissioning (conservation), 28 were approved, while 5 were rejected due to serious deficiencies in the documentation. To prevent accidents and mishaps, 13 technical devices used in drilling and capital repairs were tested for compliance with safety requirements.
To minimize risks associated with the human factor, 23 training seminars were organized for industry workers. During state oversight activities, the professional knowledge and safety rule awareness of 971 employees working at hazardous facilities were tested. Results showed that 51 employees had unsatisfactory knowledge, and written directives were issued to enterprise heads regarding their retraining.
Regrettably, despite the measures taken and preventive work performed, 3 severe accidents (involving bodily injuries) were recorded at supervised facilities in the first quarter of this year. Additionally, an in-depth inspection was carried out at 1 enterprise according to the established procedure during the reporting period.
These oversight results indicate that the level of compliance with technical safety rules in the oil and gas industry is still insufficient. The 722 identified violations and the gaps in personnel knowledge demonstrate the need to enhance safety culture alongside industrial modernization.
The regularity and strictness of the oversight system hold significant economic importance in ensuring stability within the sector and preventing emergency production shutdowns. Moving forward, the Inspectorate will continue its efforts to ensure industrial safety by expanding the scope of risk analysis and preventive measures.