A leading energy lawyer has suggested that the safety case model which transformed North Sea operations in the wake of the Piper Alpha disaster should be used by the offshore renewables industry.
Hilary Ross, an expert in health and safety in the oil and gas sector, said the safety case, which sets out how any risks will be managed on installations, had served activities on the UK Continental Shelf well over the years and should be the basis for reducing risk in offshore wind projects.
Her advice comes in the wake of a warning last week that workers in the fast-growing renewable-energy sector could die unless the safety lessons learned from years of oil and gas production from the North Sea are heeded.
Alistair Birnie, the chief executive of industry body Subsea UK, wanted the offshore renewables sector to assess risks involved in its operations and make sure it has safe and competent employees.
Ms Ross is a partner at law firm Bond Pearce, which has teams of specialists in both energy and health and safety.
She said the green-energy sector – unlike the oil and gas industry – was not obliged to present a safety case to the Health and Safety Executive but it was the best way forward.
“What you have is a very fast-growing industry,” she said, adding: “The number of people employed in it today is probably quadruple the number who were employed five years ago. When you have a fast-growing industry where there is no sector-specific legislation, the chances of something occurring are increased by the very nature of the beast.”
Ms Ross said the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act meant there was now an “appetite” to look at every fatality as a potential prosecution.
Current legislation contained in the Health and Safety at Work Act offered too much flexibility, she said, adding: “What we require is guidance and agreed safety protocols and standards.”
She said a safety case was the most practical way for companies to fulfil their health and safety obligations without having to “reinvent the wheel”.
Ms Ross added: “In a regulatory arena where there is an appetite to prosecute it is the best way to protect your company from being branded with one of the first corporate killings in Britain.”
Any resulting fines could be enormous, she warned, adding: “The brand issue is also very important in the renewables industry, which is seen as environmentally friendly – serious injuries and death do not sit well with that.”
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