Increasing manning levels ‘only way’ to address North Sea maintenance backlog
Increasing manning levels offshore is the "only way" the North Sea sector will be able to clear its growing maintenance backlog, according to oil and gas safety chiefs.
health and safety
PSA Norway launch investigation after 26.5t pipe dropped on board mobile drilling facility
Norway’s offshore health and safety watchdog has launched an investigation after a “serious” incident on board a mobile drilling facility.
Covid and maintenance backlog balancing act putting workers at risk, union boss warns
A union boss said yesterday that the difficulty of balancing platform maintenance backlogs against the risk of Covid-19 outbreaks was putting North Sea workers in a “dangerous situation”.
New ‘cutting-edge’ tool could save offshore wind developers millions
It’s hoped a new “cutting-edge” tool to improve health and safety in offshore renewables could save the industry millions of pounds every year.
North Sea industry ‘still in control’ despite recent Covid resurgence
North Sea safety bosses have insisted the oil and gas industry is “still in control”, despite a recent resurgence of Covid-19 offshore.
North Sea’s safety culture helped navigate ‘turbulent’ Covid-19 storm, says OGUK
The coronavirus pandemic is of a scale and severity which none of us have seen before, but we shouldn’t take for granted the true value of the UK’s offshore oil and gas industry’s culture of safety.
Specialist calls out ‘meaningless’ definitions for oil industry’s ‘next safety frontier’
Based on his recent MSc research at Cranfield University, Dr Bill Robb of Safety Improvers, proposes that human factors applications could be even more effective.
North Sea safety specialist speaks of MND diagnosis
A leading North Sea safety specialist has spoken out on his battle with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) and his hopes to raise awareness of the terminal illness.
Oil industry has ‘clear and robust’ plan for tackling leaks, OGUK says
The oil and gas industry has a “clear and robust” plan to tackle leaks in the UK North Sea, a sector trade body said today.
New Aberdeen conference to spotlight North Sea health and safety
A new conference has been announced which will focus on the most pressing health and safety issues in the North Sea.
Diving boss reflects on 30 years of North Sea health and safety
Reflecting on safety, diving contractor KD Marine’s managing director, Hamish Petersen, thinks back to a lecture at Aberdeen University around a decade ago titled “Is HSE going to be the end of the North Sea?”
Norwegian union blames near-fatal refinery leak on maintenance backlog
A Norwegian union has blamed a potentially fatal hydrogen leak at a refinery as part of a wider problem with maintenance backlogs.
Updated: Total’s Elgin well issues no longer ‘ongoing incident’
The Health and Safety Executive is investigating after a well incident during one of Total's North Sea drilling operations.
Half of all Norweigian accidents should have raised red flags beforehand
Red flags should have been raised in half of all health and safety incidents in the Norwegian sector prior to the mishap, according to new research.
Probe after worker gets foot trapped under container
An investigation has been launched after a rig worker got his foot trapped under a container during an offshore lifting operation.
ASCO workers asked to be on 24/7 standby, “unsafe” say insiders
Oil and gas services firm ASCO is forcing workers to be available 24/7 under shift changes that have been branded "extremely serious".
ASCO move to “highly flexible” working hours
ASCO have moved a number of staff to a "highly flexible" working pattern in a bid to increase efficiency during port operations.
Iqarus designs new hostile-environment medical training centre
Aberdeen-based occupational healthcare business Iqarus has designed an £800,000 simulation facility to toughen up medical professionals.
UKCS gas leaks up in 2015 as detection technology improves – OGUK report
Better technology could be behind an increase in the number of oil and gas leaks reported on the UK continental shelf (UKCS) in 2015, according to new research. In its latest annual health and safety report, Oil and Gas UK (OGUK) said the number of offshore hydrocarbon releases went up by 9% last year. But the industry body said the rise was largely made up of minor incidents, as the frequency of major leaks was flat.
Updated: AAIB report says pilot error was responsible for fatal Sumburgh helicopter crash
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch today said pilot error was responsible for a fatal offshore helicopter crash, which left four people dead.
Linklater: Safety “must always come first” as weather batters North Sea
The head of industry body Step Change in Safety urged offshore workers operating in the harsh conditions of the North Sea to use their "stop work authority" if they felt working in severe offshore weather was compromising safety.
Oil price downturn adding to “stress” for offshore workers
Oil companies must consider the effects of the oil downturn on the health and wellbeing of their workforce and work to support people through the most challenging period in a generation, a leading psychologist has warned.
Falck wins safety award
Safety training provider Falck proved it practices what it preaches by winning an occupational health and safety award.
Tyco agrees global rights deal for RigDeluge technology
Fire protection multinational Tyco has agreed a global rights deal with Aberdeen-based RigDeluge to produce and market its oil and gas safety systems.
Opito launches 2015 global safety and competency awards
Nominations are now open for the sixth annual Opito Safety and Competency Awards.