Industry Urged to Curb Offshore Death and Injuries

Oil companies and contractors were in the firing line today as concerns were raised about the safety of offshore workers following statistics showing the highest quarterly numbers for death and injury in the last 18 months.

Health and Safety Commissioner for Scotland Danny Carrigan says an increase in the number of contractors on rigs has resulted in communication breakdowns, with safety messages becoming distorted.

"Sometimes the message is eroded by [the] time it gets to the front line", Carrigan says.

"[When] oil output becomes more important than personal safety [it is a real problem]."

Carrigan used Offshore Europe, in Aberdeen, Scotland, as a platform to urge offshore staff to contact the Scottish Health and Safety Executive (HSE) with concerns regarding on-site health and safety.

On a positive note, the head of the UK's HSE offshore division Ian Whewell says its Health and Safety Committee is already "energetically" working with oil companies to improve safety involvement.

The UK is currently in the process of setting up an offshore workforce involvement group to aid worker participation in making decisions about safety.

HSE statistics show that in the last years two offshore workers died and 39 were seriously injured working in the UK – numbers which the HSE call "unacceptable".

Reported by Ozge Ibrahim