Wireline Issue 43 - Autumn 2018

Oil & Gas UK | News Round-Up

Cyber security event underlines importance of understanding emerging risks Oil & Gas UK hosted its first seminar dedicated to cyber security, with industry leaders sharing their knowledge and expertise to help equip and protect the industry for the future. The event, sponsored by ABB, was held at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre (AECC), and focused on the increasing threat of digital security and how the UK’s oil and gas sector can manage and mitigate risks to prevent a systems breach or major incident. The head of the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Energy Cyber Security Team delivered the keynote speech, looking at government’s role in mitigating cyber risks from a regulatory and national security perspective. Speaking after the event, Oil & Gas UK’s Workforce Engagement and Skills Manager Dr Alix Thom said:

“This fantastic event underlined the importance of understanding the risks of cyber security and how they affect our industry today and in the future... Cooperation and sharing information within the industry is crucial to help companies collectively respond to emerging threats. It’s also important to learn from other sectors about how they manage risks and ensure safe and sustainable operations.

“Our speakers provided invaluable insight to the audience today, helping to deepen our understanding of new and ever- evolving risks to people, assets and businesses brought about by the digital world.”

The speakers also included Ben Dickinson, Cyber Security Consultant at ABB, Detective Constable Richard Scott, Counter Terrorism Security Adviser at Police Scotland, and Ross McKenzie, Partner at Addleshaw Goddard LLP.

Further speakers were Joe Goodlad, Principal Cyber Security Specialist, at ADC (Aberdeen Drilling Consultants), who discussed how cyber audits are particularly critical on offshore drilling rigs to ensure safe operations and minimise any threat to production, safety and the wider environment.

Health& Safety Report 2018 The UK’s offshore oil and gas industry continued to see improvement across a broad range of health and safety indicators last year, according to the latest Oil &Gas UKHealth & Safety Report. Findings showed a continued downward trend in reportable incidents, with 255 such incidents reported to the health and safety regulator in 2017 – 67 per cent lower than in 2000-01. This is the lowest on record. With nowork-related fatalities recorded in 2017, the non-fatal injury rate also continued to decrease across the UKCS. The report gives an overviewof the offshore oil and gas industry’s performance in health and safety in 2017 and a summary of activities undertaken by industry groups to protect peopleworking in the sector in 2018.

Despite the continued improvements in the areas of process safety, personal safety, aviation and health, there is no room for complacency. The report notes that major hydrocarbon releases, whilst reduced since 2012, are plateauing at around two per year in the last few years. Industry efforts to drive concerted action in this area are being steered by Oil &Gas UK in partnershipwith Step Change in Safety. Commenting on the report findings, Oil &Gas UKHealth and SafetyManager Trevor Stapleton said: “As amajor hazard industry, the UK’s offshore oil and gas sector has a clear duty to protect the health and safety of our people. Oil &Gas UK’s Health and Safety 2018 report provides an informed viewof health and safety performance in the UK’s offshore oil and gas industry in 2017. The data shows that whilewe continue to see improvements across a range of trends, there can be no room for complacency. “That’s why Oil &Gas UK is co-ordinating industry action to reduce the number of major hydrocarbon releases. In a year wherewe marked 30 years since Piper Alpha, we’re all too aware of the personal and long-lasting consequences if things gowrong. “We’ve committed toworkingwith the regulator, industry and, in collaborationwith Step Change in Safety, to help steer efforts in the areas of process safety leadership, audit, self-verification and sustainable learning.

“As our industry emerges froma sustained downturn, the health and safety of our people remains a core value and is at the heart of all that we do.”

The2018HealthandSafetyReport canbedownloadedhere: https://oilandgasuk.cld.bz/Health-Safety-Report-2018

W I R E L I N E | S UMMER 2018 | 7

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