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August 2, 2012

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First fatalities for five years dampen offshore safety improvements

The oil and gas industry has recorded its first fatalities since 2006/07, according to new HSE statistics, which otherwise paint a largely positive picture of improvement in offshore safety.

Two workers lost their lives carrying out work on offshore installations in 2011/12; the first resulted from a fall from height, and the second occurred during a diving operation. Despite the two fatalities, the combined fatal and major injury rate fell from 152 in 2010/11 to 131 per 100,000 workers in 2011/12 – the second lowest rate over the last 10 years.

Progress is also evidenced by the number of major and significant hydrocarbon releases (HCRs), which have the potential to cause a major incident. Major and significant HCRs fell to 52 in 2011/12, compared with the previous year’s total of 73. The provisional HSE statistics also reveal a drop in the number of minor hydrocarbon releases – from 93 to 75. In both cases, these were the lowest figures in the last 10 years.

HSE head of offshore safety Steve Walker warned the industry not to be complacent following the encouraging figures.

“While we welcome the continued downward trend, industry will need continued focus to achieve its target of halving the number of hydrocarbon releases by April 2013,” he said. “The major gas release from the Elgin platform at the end of March was a salutary reminder of the potential consequences that such releases can present.”

Expressing regret over the two work-related deaths, he added: “The deaths of offshore workers are always unacceptable. Although those in 2011/12 are the first ones to be recorded in our statistics since 2007, they are a tragic reminder that this is a high-risk industry and safety must remain a priority.”

The statistics show there were 425 reported dangerous occurrences, seven fewer than last year – equipment failure and hydrocarbon releases accounted for nearly 60 per cent between them; and just over 10 per cent were well-related incidents.

There were 36 major injuries in 2011/12 – a reduction of six compared with the previous 12 months. Over each of the previous five years there has been an average of 41 major injuries.

The annual report also contains figures collected by industry body Oil & Gas UK on third-party verification of safety-critical equipment and outstanding safety-critical maintenance.

 “While these industry figures showed a significant reduction in the number of times independent verification identified serious matters of concern offshore, inroads to reducing the backlog of safety-critical maintenance show little movement,” commented Walker. “This requires sustained improvement of planned safety-critical maintenance programmes. The industry needs to address this area and ensure issues are tackled in a timely manner.”

Commenting on the report, Oil & Gas UK’s health and safety director, Robert Paterson, said: “We have seen a continuing fall in the number of hydrocarbon releases to a new low and this is the result of a concerted effort across the industry. While there is a target in place to reduce the number by 50 per cent by the end of March 2013, ultimately we must continue to strive towards zero.”

He added: “We are moving in the right direction but acknowledge that there are still areas for improvement. Maintenance of safety-critical systems remains of paramount importance for the industry, and that is a key focus of the improvement effort.”

The offshore statistics bulletin is available at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/statistics/stat1112.pdf

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