Tuesday 18 July 2006

Oil And Gas Industry Will Learn From Brent Bravo Fatalities, says UKOOA

Following today's determination of the fatal accident inquiry into the deaths of two workers three years ago on the Brent Bravo platform, the UK Offshore Operators Association (UKOOA), the representative organisation for UK oil and gas producers, confirmed that it took immediate action in 2003 to ensure that all its member companies active in the North Sea were made aware of the circumstances surrounding the tragic accident and could review their safety procedures in light of what happened. 

The Association will now study Sheriff Harris' report in detail and will ensure that any recommendations or additional information from the inquiry are communicated across the industry.

The industry is committed to working together to learn from this accident and will take the appropriate steps to ensure a safer workplace for its employees. 

Malcolm Webb, UKOOA chief executive, said, "The Step Change in Safety programme, launched nearly ten years ago, has been a consistent driving force within the industry for improving our safety performance and has indeed achieved significant results.   We will carry on working through Step Change in Safety to help us continue to improve.

"Our thoughts are with the family, friends and colleagues of Keith Moncrieff and Sean McCue.  Sadly, nothing we can say today will undo what happened on September 11, 2003 but, as an industry, we can and do resolve never to forget the lessons learned from this tragic incident and to do all we can to ensure it is not repeated."

Notes

1. The UK Offshore Operators Association (UKOOA) is the representative organisation for oil and gas companies licensed by the UK government to explore for and produce hydrocarbons offshore around the British Isles.  It has 39 members.
2. Information on the narcotic effects of hydrocarbon vapours has been disseminated across the industry via a SADIE Alert in Sept 2003 (SADIE no 506) from the industrys StepChange in Safety website (http://www.stepchangeinsafety.net) 

   In addition presentations were given to various industry forums which included guidance on the need to carry two gas detectors when investigating a leak: one to monitor the leak and the other to monitor the breathable atmosphere.

3. The UK offshore industrys safety performance has made significant improvements over last 10 years. The lost time injury rate has more than halved with injuries requiring three days off work reduced by 65 percent and major injuries by 21 percent.  The number of gas leaks has also been reduced by 50% reduction in the last 10 years, as a direct result of industry focus on this area. 

   Lost Time Injury Frequency PILOT Vision: The UK is the safest place to work in the world-wide oil and gas industry by 2010. (see graph attached)

 For more information, please call 020 7802 2400.