There’s no denying that Abdullah Haraj is well-suited to his position as Safety, Health, Environment and Social Responsibility manager for the CPF facility. An employee at the facility for fifteen years, his home village lies 50 kilometers away. When he speaks about the people living near and around the CPF facility, though, the distance only seems shorter.
When speaking about PetroMasila’s attitude towards taking care of the environment, he strikes a personal note: “For us as Yemenis, we must take care of the environment; we must take special care. It’s a responsibility. We ourselves as employees, all have our own local communities in mind after all.”
While on the job, the connection he has fostered with local citizens is often only a phone call away. “If strangers are seen around the facility, local people keep an eye on them. In such cases, I can expect someone to give me a call. This is their facility also, and they look out for it… so much depends on cooperation.”
In Abdullah’s opinion, PetroMasila’s identity as a Yemeni company encourages communication with surrounding communities. “If anybody has a complaint or request, they will speak immediately with a Yemeni national. The people they will speak with – from our operations manager on down – will understand the situation and what the local community needs. They make it easy: from a language standpoint and from a cultural standpoint. Quality communication has become a common thing.”