OREANDA-NEWS.  May 15, 2012. In line with its objective to attain certification to ISO 28000, Qatar Petroleum’s Industrial Security Directorate recently organized the first-ever ISO 28000 Lead Auditor Course to be presented in the State of Qatar.  A total of 10 QP senior staff subsequently achieved auditor status after successfully completing the intensive one-week course, reported the press-centre of QP. 

The ISO 28000 series of standards is an internationally-recognized framework for supply chain security. First published in 2007, it specifies the requirements for a security management system, including those aspects critical to security assurance of the supply chain.

As per the directives of His Excellency Dr. Mohammed bin Saleh Al-Sada, Minister of Energy and Industry and Chairman & Managing Director of QP, and under the guidance of Brig. Gen. Abdulaziz Abdulla Ibrahim Al-Ansari, Director for Industrial Security at QP, the corporation’s Industrial Security Directorate recently launched a program to attain ISO 28000 certification as part of its continued efforts to fully ensure the security of the QP energy supply chain.

The ISO 28000 Lead Auditor Course was primarily aimed at equipping the participants with the necessary expertise to perform an ISO 28000 internal audit. The course, which was held on April 22-26 at Fraser Suites Doha, was conducted through RABQSA International, a training and personnel certification body based in Sydney, Australia.

The Lead Auditor Course thoroughly covered all aspects of the ISO 28000 family of standards, examining the principles of Supply Chain Security Management and looked at the regulatory and legal framework related to supply chain security. The course also highlighted the importance of conducting audits as a way to improve business processes; it enumerated the responsibilities of the Lead Auditor and Auditor; and it introduced procedures for planning and conducting ISO 28000 audits.

At the conclusion of the course, all the participants–-which included six Qatari nationals--received a certificate from Mr. Abdulla Jamal Mohammed H. Al-Jabir, Manager for Security Risk Management and Administration of QP.

QP’s Industrial Security Directorate is planning to expand the course to include all Qatari Senior Security personnel on its staff.  The directorate’s initiative to work for ISO 28000 certification is consistent with its overall objective for QP, to serve as a benchmark for industrial security not just in the State of Qatar but throughout the GCC.