Wednesday 16 April 2008

STEP CHANGE IN SAFETY LEADS THE WAY WITH UNIQUE SAFETY SHARING EVENT

Revolutionising safety sharing in the oil and gas industry, Step Change in Safety is holding its first Safety Share Fair on April 16, 2008, as part of a three day safety networking event, which will also see biannual summit meetings of industry safety representatives and offshore installation managers as well as the publication of new guidelines on wireline operations. The first of its kind, the Safety Share Fair will share insights into good safety practice and promote effective collaboration through the sharing of best practice and learning across all industry sectors.  

Ian Aitchison, leader of the Step Change in Safety team, said: "We expect a busy and energetic day with more than 250 delegates from across the oil and gas industry listening to over 40 presentations. The day will cover the full range of offshore safety from asset integrity to personal responsibility and risk management, focusing on case studies and best practice sharing.

"The day before and after the Safety Share Fair will see special network meetings for the industry's safety representatives and offshore installation managers, where they can share their experiences and insights into good practice, problems and issues across the industry. The network meetings are vital in helping to develop new initiatives, providing practical feedback and suggesting new areas of focus for collaborative action. One of the benefits of the safety representative network in particular is the support it gives to the safety representatives to carry out their function offshore.  It also gives the safety representatives a collective voice to get their views heard by senior industry leaders, providing a direct channel of communication between workforce and industry organisations, such as Step Change."

A new guideline on the safety of wireline operations will be launched at the Safety Share Fair. This guideline was produced by the Well Services Contractors Association (WSCA) in conjunction with Step Change in Safety in response to Health and Safety Executive (HSE) concerns regarding the frequency and potential seriousness of dropped toolstring incidents. Chris Strang, director of WSCA, said: "The new guideline provides practical guidance to companies and individuals involved in wireline rig up/down operations so that the risk of dropping toolstrings and injuring personnel are as low as reasonably practicable. The HSE have indicated that they will be using the guidance as a standard in their inspections of wireline operations."

The offshore industry compares well with many other industries in terms of its safety performance. Its safety record improved greatly in 2007, with the lowest number of major injuries since 1995/1996, despite a 22% increase in the offshore workforce. The number of dangerous occurrences also decreased to the lowest level in the last ten years. To maintain this positive trend, companies are investing more than £1 billion a year on asset integrity alone, a figure not matched by any other industry.

Ian Aitchison added: "Although the industry's safety record is continuously improving, the three day event is designed to ensure that there is no complacency about the current safety performance. The industry is working hard to make the UK continental shelf the safest place to work in the world wide oil and gas industry."

For further information, please contact:

Britta Hallbauer Oil & Gas UK Media Relations   3^rd Floor, the Exchange 2  62 Market Street Aberdeen AB11 5PJ                                                                      

Tel:      01224 577331 Fax:     020 7802 2401

Email: bhallbauer@oilandgasuk.co.uk Mob:   07891769113