A Glimpse into PETRONAS’s Vision on Health – Occupational Health Beyond the Lecture Hall

August 1^st 2025 was an unexpected surprise. For 13 members of Cohort 13 DrPH UNIMAS were expecting the usual field visit, you know, where we come, sit, listen to presentations, go for a tour, ask some questions, group photo and off we go – that superficial one-way information dump that usually happens in these outings. Thank the lucky stars this wasn’t one of that. This was a stimulating, enriching and inspirational engagement despite carrying the exact same flow of events. So, what happened?

As part of our DrPH’s Occupational Health posting, we took the initiative to organise a field visit to an industrial complex to see how OH is practiced there. By some good fortune, our request was approved by PETRONAS, and we had the privilege of visiting the Bintulu Integrated Facility (BIF). BIF stands as a critical node within Malaysia’s oil and gas value chain. Since 2015, BIF has processed crude oil, condensate, and gas, while also supplying energy to Sarawak through Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB), as well as other consumers across Malaysia. With storage tanks, stabilisation plants, and gas sales facilities, it was truly an opportunity to dive into occupational health in the industrial setting. It’s not everyday you get to visit an important national asset which is highly secure and highly restricted!

A Welcome That Ignites

We were fortunate enough to be welcomed by the Terminal Manager of BIF, Ir. Ts. Khalid Bin Abu Bakar. He was quick to highlight PETRONAS’ commitment to safety and education, emphasizing the value of sharing real workplace practices with us, in our role as future public health medicine specialists. Our visit began with a safety briefing led by Mdm Alma Najlaa Kang, the Site Safety Executive. She kindly but firmly introduced us to BIF’s dangerous workplace hazards, clear emergency procedures, and common personal protective equipment requirements on site. PETRONAS has an “Aim Zero” philosophy, which focuses on achieving zero accidents and zero injuries within all their facilities globally. The safety motto, “Everybody Goes Home Safely,” was also displayed at many points in the facility, reminding us of the culture of care and responsibility. To further emphasize the gravity of their commitment towards safety, a short video regarding Noise-Induced Hearing Loss and usage of proper PPE at hazardous areas was shown to us to highlight how even everyday risks are taken seriously in the oil and gas industry.

A Masterclass on Occupational Health

Among the highlights of our visit was the presence of PETRONAS’ occupational health advisors, Dr. Muhammad Nasir Suliaman and Dr. Khairul Azman. Dr. Nasir, known within PETRONAS as the “Grandmaster of Occupational Health”, shared his wealth of occupational health experiences from last two decades in the oil and gas industry. As a trained public health specialist himself, he assured us that our training in public health could open many doors, with the right networking and sub-specialisation, even beyond occupational health.

Enriching the session further, Dr Khairul shared on PETRONAS’ occupational health programmes, which covers the whole element of the Basic Occupational Health Services (BOHS) which includes Fit-to-work assessment program, Medical Surveillance, Fatigue Management, Substance Abuse Prevention, Medical Emergency Response Program (MERP), Healthy Lifestyle initiatives, Travel and Environmental Health, and Mental Health Support. Among the many health programs presented, three stood out to us. Firstly, the Mental Health Program with its Buddy System, where trained volunteers act as peer supporters. Complementing this is an online platform that connects employees directly with psychologists and psychiatrists, making professional help readily accessible, especially when one’s social battery runs low as it often happens in people with mental health issues. Second, the ‘MESTIfit4Health’ initiative, built on the principle of Move right, Eat right, Sleep right, Think right, and Individual right. More than a slogan, PETRONAS invested in equipment and wellness coaches to actively support staff in achieving healthier lifestyles.

Thirdly, the Fatigue Management System for offshore workers, which uses a two-weeks rotation system to balance performance with recovery. For us, this highlighted an important lesson, fatigue management is just as vital for healthcare workers, who often face long hours and demanding workloads. Together, these initiatives underscored a clear message, health at work depends on commitment, creativity, and leadership at all levels. The session was lively and engaging with everyone eagerly asking questions. Dr Nasir and Dr Khairul patiently, candidly and happily answered all our queries. This was when we truly dug into maximising the session with discussions and exchanges about translation of clinical practice into industry practice, principles behind policies, history and depth of certain policies, insights and innovation to implementation of certain programmes, follow-up and evaluation strategies, buy-in strategies, external stakeholder engagements, and future directions for health.

Later, dressed in yellow coveralls, we were taken on a guided tour of the plant. Even though we remained in the company’s van for safety reasons, we could see how occupational health principles were applied all over the facility. Hazard signage warned of hazards such as hydrogen sulphide and benzene. Fire control systems, foam piping, hydrants, and in-house emergency response teams were all in place and ready for action. Chemical spill showers and eye wash stations were placed throughout the site as well. What struck with us most was that the facility seems to have built a workplace ecosystem steep in discipline, structure, and care.

Reflecting back, the visit was more than a field trip. It was an optimistic glimpse of public health principals and occupational health practice in taking care of the health and wellbeing of PETRONAS’ population, their staff. The visit left us with a deeper appreciation of occupational health as a shared responsibility. As future public health medicine specialists, the visit challenged us to reflect on how we, too, can safeguard the wellbeing of our own healthcare workforce, ensuring they can perform at their best both in service and in life. We returned to our respective station with new ideas about how such approaches could be adopted and adapted to the public sector. Well, maybe can start small, in our own department and later on expand it, as they say, Rome wasn’t built in a day.A tagline to remember, “Everybody Goes Home Safely”, serves as reminder to place care and welfare of workers as a priority anywhere we go. I do personally hope we can all strive for the betterment of health for all workers and workplace in Malaysia.