WIRELINE ISSUE 33 AUTUMN 2015

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6 T H E M A G A Z I N E F O R T H E U K O F F S H O R E O I L A N D G A S I N D U S T R Y
5. THE EU OFFSHORE SAFETY DIRECTIVE BECOMES UK LAW
The single biggest change to affect domestic offshore health, safety and environmental
management in many years came into force on 19 July as the EU Offshore Safety
Directive became UK law. The second version of the safety case submission guidance,
in compliance with the Directive, is available online (see link below) for a short
introductory period to identify any further amendments required. The final document
is scheduled to be published towards the end of the year.
Meanwhile, the Offshore Safety Directive Regulator is developing a single tool for
reporting UK offshore oil and gas incidents. The new tool aims to make it simpler to
report incidents, reducing the regulatory complexity when combining the Directive
and the resulting EU Implementation Regulation with pre-existing provisions.
For more information, visit
4. OIL & GAS UK MEMBERS HELP FUND PIPER ALPHA
MEMORIAL GARDEN MAINTENANCE
Funds raised by members of Oil & Gas UK will help pay for the ongoing
maintenance of the North Sea Memorial Garden in Hazelhead Park in
Aberdeen – a tribute to the 167 men who lost their lives in the 1988
Piper Alpha disaster.
Deirdre Michie, chief executive of Oil & Gas UK, says: “We were delighted that
the initial funds contributed towards the garden’s first stage of restoration and
its interpretation board designed by local artist Nicola Cruickshank. Now, we’ve
given just over £185,000 – the remaining sum – which we hope helps ensure this
tranquil spot continues to flourish for many years to come.”
More information about the Pound for Piper Memorial Trust is available at
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NEWS ROUND-UP OIL & GAS UK
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Interpretation Board in the North Sea
Memorial Garden
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6. ANNUAL HEALTH AND SAFETY REPORT
CAPTURES KEY DEVELOPMENTS
Oil & Gas UK’s Health & Safety Report 2015 captures key
developments across the health and safety arena over the past
year, such as the EUOffshore Safety Directive, improvements
in aviation safety and the industry move to secure continued
effective search and rescue helicopter cover for central North
Sea workers. Based on incidents reported to the Health and
Safety Executive, the publication reveals that the total number
of hydrocarbon releases has fallen to its lowest level ever, that
offshore oil and gas has a lower personal injury rate than many
other sectors, and that the non-fatal injury rate for offshore
workers continues to decline. The report also finds a growing
backlog of safety-critical maintenance on offshore installations.
The full report is available to download at
7. GUIDELINES CELEBRATED BY NATIONAL
ENGINEERING INSTITUTE
Oil & Gas UK’s commitment with its members to continually review
and improve the performance of all aspects of offshore operations
through good practice guidelines has been recognised by the Institute
of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3). IOM3 has presented the
Premier Award Medal for Excellence to Oil & Gas UK in recognition
of its efforts to improve safety and efficiency by publishing more than
30 peer-reviewed guidelines.
Oil &Gas UK guidelines are available at
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Oonagh Werngren, Oil & Gas UK’s operations director, collected
the IOM3 Award of Excellence on behalf of the association