Offshore hydrocarbon releases almost halved in three years
The number of hydrocarbon releases reported by the oil and gas industry has fallen by 48 per cent since 2010, but the number of major releases has jumped to a 14-year high.
These and other statistics highlighting the industry’s safety performance over the last year are found in Oil & Gas UK’s latest annual health and safety report, and newly-released HSE provisional figures.
According to the Executive, it received reports of 97 incidents in 2012/13 — 37 fewer than the previous year, continuing a long-term downward trend. But although the combined total of major and significant releases — those most likely to lead to a major incident — fell to a new low of 46, the number of major releases rose from three in 2011/12 to nine, which is the highest in the last 14 years.
Several major incidents were confirmed and outlined in the period covered by the Oil and Gas UK report, as well as a number of measures being taken to further improve workers’ safety.
Highlights include:
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a steady reduction in the incidence of over-three-day injuries to an all-time low;
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no fatalities and a reduction in combined fatal and major-injury rates, and in all types of dangerous occurrences; and
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an all-time low in Level 3 verification non-compliances, which relate to performance standards of safety-critical equipment identified by an independent competent person.
The sector is also the third-best performer for non-fatal accidents, and holds a better safety record than the public sector, retail and general manufacturing, with only finance/business and education performing better.
Commenting on the figures, Oil & Gas UK health and safety director Robert Paterson said: “This year’s health and safety report shows that the industry’s unwavering commitment to continuous improvement in the safety of offshore workers is bearing fruit. Our industry has long performed well in terms of non-fatal accidents, better than sectors that would generally be considered lower-hazard, including retail and the public sector.
“Significantly, the report shows that the industry has also achieved a 48-per-cent reduction in the number of hydrocarbon releases over three years, falling just short of the tough target set by the industry in 2010 to halve releases over that time.”
HSE chair Judith Hackitt welcomed the fact that the industry had achieved the lowest number of leaks since 1996, but issued a cautionary note, saying: “The rise in the number of major releases shows that there is a need for constant vigilance and attention as assets continue to age.€ᄄ €ᄄ”HSE will continue to work closely with the industry and, where necessary, use our powers to hold operators to account for the effective management of risks in their business.”
Paterson also accepted that there is no room for complacency, pointing out that the approaching 25th anniversary of the Piper Alpha disaster serves as a reminder to all stakeholders to strive for further improvement.
He added: “Ongoing work around asset integrity, field-life extension and aviation safety are further examples of our determination never to avoid health and safety issues, no matter how challenging they may be.”
Oil & Gas UK’s Health & Safety Report 2013 is available at www.oilandgasuk.co.uk/publications/viewpub.cfm?frmPubID=746 HSE figures for hydrocarbon releases since 1996 are available at https://www.hse.gov.uk/hcr3/report/public_tables_display.asp
Offshore hydrocarbon releases almost halved in three years
The number of hydrocarbon releases reported by the oil and gas industry has fallen by 48 per cent since 2010, but the number of major releases has jumped to a 14-year high.
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