Leading behavioural psychologist hired by Aberdeen’s Opex

An Aberdeen-based provider of predictive analysis services has appointed a top behavioural psychologist as it rolls out a safety-focused service for the oil and gas industry.

Eugene Burke - passionate approach to managing safety. Picture: Newsline Media

Opex Group has appointed Eugene Burke as principal advisor for behavioural psychology to support the delivery of its X-PAS Smart Behaviours service, which has been developed to help oil and gas operators improve the safety and predictability of offshore operations by managing the risks posed by human behaviour.

Burke’s career spans roles as an applied psychologist, psychometrician, data scientist and advisor to companies around the world, as well as leadership roles in professional bodies including the British Psychological Society and the Association of Test Publishers.

Burke said: “The oil and gas industry’s imaginative and passionate approach to managing safety has delivered significant improvements, but there remains one area that continues to pose a significant challenge – managing behavioural risk. By combining behavioural diagnostics with a deep analysis of operational and HSE data, we can reveal an organisation’s unique ‘behavioural DNA’ and the critical factors that act to amplify the potential for incidents and disruption to offshore operations.”

Chris Ayres, chief operating officer of Opex Group, added: “It’s a real coup for us to have someone of Eugene’s standing as part of the X-PAS Smart Behaviours team.

“We’ve brought together expertise in behavioural psychology, data science and oil and gas operations to offer a new approach to help oil and gas operators identify and quantify the levels of behavioural risk that exist across their offshore facilities and work teams.”