The WA Department of Mines and Petroleum has appointed Ross Stidolph as the head of its newly merged Dangerous Good and Petroleum Safety branch.
The new position, and division, was created after a structural review earlier this month.
According to the WA DMP the "new branch brings together two regulatory groups that manage similar safety issues, creating a more consistent and robust regulatory approach to critical risk assessment".
Speaking on Stidolph's appointment, WA DMP acting executive director for Resources Safety Ivor Roberts said that with more than three decades of experience in the oil and gas industry, Stidolph will be an invaluable leader for the new branch.
“An engineer by trade, Stidolph has spent most of his career working in management positions at Kwinana’s BP refinery, one of the largest major hazard facilities in the State,” Roberts said.
“He has extensive experience with the department’s safety regulations and brings a unique operators perspective to safety performance and obligations.”
Stidolph said he will initially focus on delivering dangerous goods regulatory reforms and completing a statutory review of the Dangerous Goods Safety Act.
“Growing up in South Australia near a rocket range and test firing facility, I had a unique introduction to the dangerous goods industry at a very young age," Stidolph said.
“Although I didn’t realise it at the time, dangerous goods safety would go on to play a major part of my career and become something I am very passionate about.”
He officially stepped into the role on 1 July.