NEW standards in offshore health and safety need to be reached 30 years on from the Piper Alpha disaster, Scotland’s energy minister has said.
The North Sea platform exploded in July 1988, leaving 167 men dead.
A major conference, Safety 30, is being held in Aberdeen next week to mark progress since the tragedy.
Paul Wheelhouse will speak at the event, and said the families of those who died deserved to see a safe industry.
The energy minister said: “I recall vividly the awful images of the Piper Alpha tragedy, and I know how profoundly the loss of life affected the city of Aberdeen and Scotland.
“The 30th anniversary of this terrible tragedy provides a very important reminder to everyone working in this industry, and in these hostile and dangerous waters, that safety should always be paramount. Nothing is more important than ensuring the safety of those who work offshore.
“Through continued vigilance, allied to innovation and dedication, we must strive to achieve and sustain new standards of offshore health and safety, aiming to make the UK Continental Shelf the safest place to work in the global oil and gas industry.
“We owe that to the families of those who lost loved ones on the Piper Alpha, and to all those who continue to deliver the vital supplies of energy our society often takes for granted.”
The conference on June 5 and 6 at Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre has been organised by Oil and Gas UK and the International Regulators’ Forum.
Deirdre Michie, chief executive of Oil and Gas UK, said: “Safety 30 is an important conference for our industry coming 30 years after the Piper Alpha disaster that led to the rigorous health and safety legislation governing us today. We look forward to hearing from the Scottish energy minister who is very engaged with our sector which puts safety at the heart of all its operations.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here