Abstract
Reform of the Chinese petroleum industry has entered its second phase since early 1999. The productivity of the petroleum industry has been greatly improved, while the safety performance and records are not satisfactory. This paper investigates the critical factors for improving safety performance in the Chinese petroleum industry. The data used for the analysis are from a questionnaire survey administered to 480 professionals in the petroleum industry in which 143 valid responses were received. Statistical analysis techniques are used to analyze the data collected. The findings revealed that the most significant source of the safety problem is due to the combination of several reasons, including (a) violation on operating procedures, (b) obsolete facilities and equipment failures, (c) insufficient safety management system, (d) improper commands, number of casualties, and (e) production performances and operating skills. The three most essential protective methods include safety training and increasing staff’s safety consciousness, cultivating safety culture, and enhancing equipment management and detecting hazards in time.