Oil and Gas Industry warned about Safety Record

The British offshore oil and gas industry has been warned about its safety record as new statistics show an increase in major injuries and hydrocarbon releases:

 

Fatalities and Major Injuries

Figures released by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show that there were fifty RIDDOR major injuries reported between April 2009 and March 2010, an increase of twenty on the previous year.

For the third consecutive year, there were no fatalities in the areas that HSE regulates.  BUT this doesn't take into account seventeen lives that were lost in offshore-related transport incidents.

 

Hydrocarbon Releases

There was also a significant increase in the number of major and significant hydrocarbon releases. These include unplanned gas releases and can potentially lead to major incidents. There were eighty five compared with sixty one in 2008/09 - an increase of twenty-four.