It is 30 years since the Piper Alpha platform exploded and fell into the sea. The disaster proved highly significant for safety developments on both British and Norwegian continental shelves, and still makes its mark on the industry.
How are this and other major accidents still relevant for safety work today – and tomorrow? That is the overriding question to be raised at the 2018 Safety Lunch, where senior Scottish judge Lord Cullen will be the keynote speaker.
Lord Cullen chaired the commission of inquiry into Piper Alpha, which worked for two years to draw up an 800-page report containing a total of 106 recommendations for improving safety on the UK continental shelf. Several of these proposals were inspired by Norwegian examples. The report led to major changes in the British safety regime.
Organised jointly by the Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (PSA) and ONS, the Safety Lunch is an important meeting place for key stakeholders in the oil and gas industry. It aims to apply an international perspective to health, safety and the environment, and to major accident risk in particular.