The Department of Petroleum Resources on Sunday said the Minimum Industry Safety Training for Downstream Operations was a compulsory programme introduced to halt the annual fatalities in that arm of the oil industry.

It said the programme was created as a direct response to the upsurge in downstream sector accidents and operational mishaps that led to high casualty and fatality rates averaging 54 fatalities yearly within a five-year period.

Although the agency was silent on the period when the fatalities were recorded, it said in a statement issued by its spokesperson, Paul Osu, that the MISTDO programme would safeguard operations in the downstream sector.

“The MISTDO programme covers depots, petrol stations, product pipelines, LPG plants and petroleum trucks,” the oil sector regulator stated.

It said the programme was inaugurated following extensive collaborations with relevant stakeholders including the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria.

“The objectives of MISTDO, among others, include to enforce and standardise basic training for downstream workers and to provide industry reference for prospective trainees,” it stated.

The agency stated that the programme required robust accreditation of training centres for existing workers and new entrants into the downstream sector.

It said successful trainees would be issued certificates valid for two years at a negotiated cost between the trainees and the certified training centres.

It, however, noted that DPR was not charging the trainees for the MISTDO programme.

The oil industry regulator said it would continue to provide oversight for safety of operations in the the Nigerian oil and gas sector in line with global best practices to ensure business sustainability.