Offshore safety concerns raised

A SURVEY of offshore oil and gas workers has found that 80 per cent believe not enough offshore health and safety checks are being made.

The report, published on the 25th anniversary of the Piper Alpha Disaster today, also found that 88 per cent of respondents had raised a safety concern in the last 12 months.

Three-quarters of those questioned believe the UK government’s recent decision to move the Health and Safety Executive’s dedicated offshore division into its energy division will undermine safety.

Kevin Forbes, chief executive of Aberdeen-based recruitment firm Oilandgaspeople.com, which carried out the survey, said workers were concerned about the combination of a high number of safety complaints being made and a fall in the number of HSE inspections.