OIL EXPLORATION AND production is a risky business, so employees at Westhill-based producer TAQA are happy that their company is putting protection first. “Intelligent safety” is an approach underpinned by psychological theories about human behaviour. Staff are helped to recognise their limitations and adopt simple procedures to stay out of danger. Humorous campaigns and energetic training sessions keep the topic at the forefront of workers' minds. There is also a safety questionnaire for onshore and offshore teams, and for every survey completed the company donates £1 to charity, raising more than £1,000 a year. It is as well that TAQA's 548 UK employees feel safe, because jobs are an important part of their lives (an 80% positive score). They also believe they can make a valuable contribution (84%) and they love what they do (71%). Self-confidence and trust in your colleagues' abilities are vital in a high-pressure, dynamic environment, and team-building events tend to focus on the development of those virtues. The organisation, which makes its debut as a Best Company this year, took part in the Aberdeen Corporate Decathlon for the first time in 2012, coming a creditable 17th. This sponsored co-operation and boosted the fitness levels of staff, who got to try new sports such as the “Highland fling challenge”. People certainly feel their teams are fun to work with (75%). Other — less physical — activities they take part in include fireworks parties, trips to the pantomime at Christmas, a black-tie dinner at Fyvie Castle in northeast Scotland and a summer barbecue. The sense of family (70%) at the firm was demonstrated by the farewell party given to managing director Leo Koot before he moved on to head the company's operation in Iraq, having led the Aberdeen end since 2005. The most common role within the company is a senior operations technician, who typically earns £44,131. Pay is related to performance, and nearly everyone takes advantage of the universal free private healthcare for themselves, their spouses and children. Staff are happy with their pay and benefits (79%, which comes in at ninth place in the survey). TAQA encourages workers to volunteer in support of local community projects and matches money raised by each to a limit of £2,500 a year. Initiatives funded last year included building nesting rafts at RSPB's Loch of Strathbeg nature reserve, Britain's largest dune loch; and Greenpower, a national competition that aims to make engineering fun by challenging school pupils to design, build and race electric cars. www.wemeanenergy.co.uk