Head of Step Change in Safety resigns
The head of a major North Sea safety body has stood down from his role.
Les Linklater
Step Change: Celebrating 20 years of bringing safety to the North Sea
By the mid-1990s post Piper Alpha safety standards had started to plateau.
Les Linklater: “We all want to go home safe”
Executive director of the organisation tasked with keeping offshore workers safe, Les Linklater of Step Change speaks to Energy Voice about how essential it is to get people to talk about helicopter safety, even when that conversation is difficult.
Les Linklater: Embracing new realities?
In sitting down to write this article with another Offshore Europe looming, I was struck by the conference theme of embracing new realities and what that might mean for safety in our industry. So, I thought I’d share the backbone of a speech given at an Institute of Petroleum in September 1996 that led to the launch Step Change in Safety just one year later, at Offshore Europe in 1997.
Opinion: Remembering Piper Alpha
As an apprentice at Dounreay back in July 1988, I remember very clearly travelling the 22 miles from Thurso across the far north east corner of Scotland to Wick, to look out to sea.
Safety body says all measures investigated to “limit impact” of Sikorsky S-92 ‘grounding’
The executive director of industry safety body Step Change in Safety said all measures were being investigated to limit the impact on flights to and from North Sea platforms after S-92s were grounded.
H175 helicopters add resilience to North Sea industry, safety chief says
The arrival of NHV in Aberdeen has added resilience to the North Sea oil and gas industry, an offshore safety chief said yesterday.
Les Linklater: Leading the hard way, not learning the hard way
The disbelief in my initial reaction, to yet another tragic helicopter accident, was surpassed quickly by an overwhelming and heartfelt sadness that, once again, we had lost more colleagues as they simply travelled home from another offshore trip.
Les Linklater: Dear Mr Anonymous……
The past month has been an interesting one.
Les Linklater: Four by four
It’s hard to believe that four years ago, I stepped into the role here at Step Change in Safety. Like my New Year’s resolutions, my hopes and the reality didn’t always align. Since day one, there have been many successes and Step Change’s strategic priorities have evolved. But, sadly, there have been tragic and stark reminders of just how much is still to be done.
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.
EV Insights: Energy Voice’s top columns from 2015
Throughout the holiday season Energy Voice will be taking a look back at some of our most read columns from 2015.
Les Linklater: Remember, Remember the 5th of November
The infamous Guy Fawkes belonged to a group who planned the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605. The plotters hid a large amount of gunpowder in a cellar beneath the House of Lords in an assassination attempt on the King. However, the authorities received a ‘tip off’ and searched the Palace of Westminster in the early hours of the 5th of November where they found Fawkes guarding the gunpowder.
Les Linklater: Confused? Me too!
I don’t know about other readers, but I am confused by the recent spate of reporting regarding helicopter “incidents” in outlets other than Energy Voice and the P&J.
Step Change in Safety honoured for its work in energy sector
Industry body Step Change in Safety has been recognised for its contribution to the energy sector at the 2015 Northern Star Business Awards, held in Aberdeen.
Opinion: Inspiring the next generation – safely
Those of us of a certain age will remember playing outdoors - often unsupervised for many hours - especially in the summer months.
Opinion: 42 – The ultimate question?
There are a lot of important things related to the number 42. There are 42 US gallons in a barrel of oil. The three best-selling music albums – Michael Jackson’s Thriller, AC/DC’s Back in Black and Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon – all last 42 minutes. Buzz Lightyear’s spaceship is called 42. Cricket has 42 laws (apparently!) I’ll leave you to decide which is the most important out of those. According to Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, the number 42 is “the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything!” But for us as an industry, it represents a great division of opinion. Why? Think about it; what does three on/three off, or 21 + 21 equal? 42.