The UK’s offshore oil and gas industry continued to see improvement across a broad range of health and safety indicators last year, according to a key insight into the health and safety landscape published by Oil & Gas UK.
Findings from the leading representative body’s Health and Safety Report 2018 showed a continued downward trend in reportable incidents, with 255 such incidents reported to the health and safety regulator in 2017 – 67 percent lower than in 2000-01. This is the lowest on record.
With no work-related fatalities recorded in 2017, the non-fatal injury rate also continued to decrease across the UKCS.
The report gives an overview of the offshore oil and gas industry’s performance in health and safety in 2017 and a summary of activities undertaken by industry groups to protect people working in the sector in 2018.
Despite the continued improvements in the areas of process safety, personal safety, aviation and health, Oil & Gas UK today said there was no room for complacency.
The report notes that major hydrocarbon releases, whilst reduced since 2012, are plateauing at around two per year in the last few years. Industry efforts to drive concerted action in this area are being steered by Oil & Gas UK in partnership with Step Change in Safety.
Commenting on the report findings, Oil & Gas UK Health and Safety Manager Trevor Stapleton said: “As a major hazard industry, the UK’s offshore oil and gas sector has a clear duty to protect the health and safety of our people.
“Oil & Gas UK’s Health and Safety 2018 report provides an informed view of health and safety performance in the UK’s offshore oil and gas industry in 2017. The data shows that while we continue to see improvements across a range of trends, there can be no room for complacency.
“That’s why Oil & Gas UK is co-ordinating industry action to reduce the number of major hydrocarbon releases. In a year where we marked 30 years since Piper Alpha, we’re all too aware of the personal and long-lasting consequences if things go wrong.
“We’ve committed to working with the regulator, industry and, in collaboration with Step Change in Safety, to help steer efforts in the areas of process safety leadership, audit, self-verification and sustainable learning.
“As our industry emerges from a sustained downturn, the health and safety of our people remains a core value and is at the heart of all that we do."