Safety challenges

The 25th anniversary of the Piper Alpha disaster, on 6 July, is a reminder of the potentially devastating human and financial consequences of failing properly to manage health and safety in hazardous industries.

Thoughts of the 167 dead, survivors and the families of those on the Piper Alpha that night lie heavily on those working in the North Sea to this day.

Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) believes that regulatory and industry standards have significantly improved since 1988, making the UK offshore oil and gas industry a world leader in safety.

But there are still significant challenges to overcome in the North Sea, including ageing infrastructure, decreasing reserves resulting in the exploitation of deeper, less accessible fields and how to regulate other offshore emerging energy technologies.

On publication of the Cullen report on Piper Alpha, the then energy secretary John Wakeham said that the “measure of our sympathy is the determination that nothing of this kind shall ever happen again”. 6 July is not solely a commemoration; it is a reminder that we must build on progress made to ensure our offshore industry is ever ready to meet the new challenges to its workers’ safety and health.

Allison Laws

Offshore Group, 
Institution of Occupational Safety and Health

Highfield Drive

Wigston, Leicestershire