Everybody who works for a contractor on a downstream plant in Trinidad & Tobago must complete an assessment of their basic HSE knowledge once every two years. This is called the PLEA assessment, and it is administered by the Energy Chamber of Trinidad & Tobago on behalf of the industry. People who have to complete the PLEA assessment range from owners and leaders of contractors who have to visit their workers in the field, the skill technicians and craft workers, through to security guards, labourers and janitors. It is the basic entry requirement for all of the plants in Point Lisas, Atlantic and other petrochemical plants and power stations.
The number of people who complete the PLEA assessment is, therefore, a good proxy measure for the level of employment in the downstream industrial sector. As it is valid for two years, the previous two years give a good estimate of the number of people who have worked in the sector.
In 2023 and 2024 just over 20,000 people completed the PLEA assessment. A decade ago, there were many more people who completed the PLEA assessment, with an approximate 40% drop in total numbers. One of the main reasons for the decrease was that the Point-a-Pierre refinery was also part of the PLEA programme and there were large numbers of contractor workers who entered the refinery, especially during plant construction/upgrade projects.
Many of the people doing the PLEA assessment will not be employed full time in the sector and just have a temporary contract, and sometimes for only a few weeks in a year. Others will be fulltime employees of contractors and service companies. Over ninety-nine percent of people completing the PLEA assessment are citizens of Trinidad & Tobago.