Offshore safety shows signs of 'improvement'

According to the report, there were no reported fatalities on the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) in 2015, and reportable injury rates for the offshore oil and gas industry, which are calculated via a metric set by Oil & Gas UK, were lower than a number of other sectors, including manufacturing.

Our report demonstrates that safe operations continue to be intrinsic to how we go about our activities on the UK Continental Shelf, regardless of the oil price

Mick Borwell, health, safety and environment policy director at Oil & Gas UK

Mick Borwell, health, safety and environment policy director at Oil & Gas UK, said: “I am pleased to say there were no reported fatalities on the UK Continental Shelf in 2015.

“Health and Safety Executive (HSE) statistics in our report show that the industry non-fatal injury rate and the over-seven-day and specified injuries rates also decreased.”

Meanwhile, combined ‘dangerous occurrences’ statistics, which capture oil and gas releases, fires or explosions, dropped objects and weather damage, fell roughly 30% between 2013 and 2015, the report finds.

However, within that category, minor oil and gas releases rose by 9%, which the report suggests is the result of more operators using technology that helps detect the smallest of escapes.

New reporting criteria also came into place in the latter half of 2015 and now includes releases that were not deemed reportable under previous legislation, the report adds.

According to Borwell, hydrocarbon releases are a “perpetual focus” for the oil and gas industry.

“We need to understand more about the slight rise in mainly minor releases to help redouble our efforts on driving these right down.

“This is a testing time for the industry and our commitment to safety has, at times, been questioned.

“However, our report demonstrates that safe operations continue to be intrinsic to how we go about our activities on the UK Continental Shelf, regardless of the oil price,” he said.