March 31, 2006 This news release issued by Step Change in Safety

Step Change in Safety, the upstream oil and gas industry’s leading safety initiative, has announced a new partnership approach to the Chairmanship of the Step Change Leadership Team.

Alan Brown, UK operations manager for ExxonMobil's North Sea Production Unit and Doug Halkett, division manager for Transocean in Northern Europe will take over as Co-Chairmen on 1st April, replacing Gary Luquette, from Chevron, who has assumed new responsibilities within the Chevron Corporation in the USA.

Gary Luquette said: “I am sorry to be leaving Step Change but I know I am leaving the Leadership Team in great hands. Establishing a Co-Chairmanship, consisting of leaders from the contractor and operator organisations, supports the partnership approach the Step Change membership has always represented. It also aligns well with the governance of the Industry Leadership Team (ILT) with whom we have a close relationship.

"Step Change’s more focussed strategic approach, which includes more engagement with all levels of industry with the common aim of improving our safety performance, will be complemented by this move.

"Contractors and operators have a joint responsibility to ensure that the industry delivers the vision “to be the safest oil and gas region in the world by 2010”. I am confident that together Alan and Doug can drive the Step Change strategy to ensure that everyone working in the industry returns home safe and unhurt."

Doug Halkett said: “Gary has taken the leadership role in Step Change to another level and has been instrumental in strengthening our engagement at all levels of industry. Alan and I share his passion for safety, and the need to ensure that no one comes home hurt or injured. Collectively we have to take personal ownership for safety to create a culture where we continually demonstrate that safety comes first. Over the years, the industry has improved its safety performance but we need to continue to drive the Step Change agenda to achieve the 2010 vision. Under Gary’s leadership Step Change has ignited new energy to reach our safety goal, and Alan and I aim to continue to direct that energy to deliver the vision."

Alan Brown continued: “Following Gary's Chairmanship will be a real challenge, but together, Doug and I believe we can lead Step Change into a new era where the sharing of safety best practice across the industry becomes the norm and we have a culture where everyone, from boardroom to drill floor, believes that safety can be continuously improved and is indeed the priority for all of us. We have already made a good start in terms of engaging people on a more emotional level to really highlight the true extent of the impact of accidents, so that collectively we can improve the physical and behavioural aspects of our business to ensure a safe and healthy working environment for all.

"This year, Step Change in Safety will build on the sound foundations of industry engagement and last year’s launch of the Personal Responsibility for Safety (PRfS) toolkit to increase ownership for safety, thus making the UK oil & gas region the safest in the world. “

The next Step Change in Safety event is planned for 31st May and will include senior leadership representatives from industry, trade unions, trade associations and the Health & Safety Executive (HSE).

Notes to Editors
Step Change in Safety is the UK oil and gas industry initiative set up in 1997 to reduce injuries and dangerous incidents offshore. It is a unique collaborative grouping of the operators of UK offshore oil and gas installations and the supply chain, and has over 130 members. Its affiliates also include all the major industry trade associations, the TUC and the Health and Safety Executive. Its goal, adopted by PILOT (the joint government industry forum for the UK oil and gas sector) in 2002, is to be the safest operating region in the world by 2010.

There are 22 members in the Step Change Leadership Team. It employs a full-time support team of five people seconded from participating organisations. Engagement with the workforce is via networks for elected safety representatives, offshore installation managers and safety professionals.

Visit http://www.stepchangeinsafety.net for further information.