Oil and gas workplace summit to grapple with safety in wake of layoffs

More than 100 oil and gas leaders from across Canada are in Calgary Tuesday to talk about the importance of safety as companies adjust to having fewer workers and slashed resources.

Enform's annual executive summit at the Calgary Petroleum Club included the head of the National Energy Board, the Alberta Energy Regulator, the B.C. Oil and Gas Commission and a representative from Saskatchewan's ministry of the economy.

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"Safety training must remain a priority so projects are shovel ready when the economy picks up again," said Enform's president and CEO, Cameron MacGillivray, in a release.

Enform is the safety association for Canada's upstream oil and gas industry. It "supports and promotes the highest safety standards through innovative training, certifications, services and resources," the organization said in a release.

The head of the Alberta Energy Regulator, Jim Ellis, said according to his data, there has not been an increase in accidents or environmental incidents. Itappears companies are not cutting back on safety even as they look for efficiencies, he says.

"I think it's great ... they're taking it very seriously as what we would expect as a regulator," he said.