Health & Safety Report 2017

A more detailed look at the process releases is provided in Figure 11. This shows a sustained downward trend in the total number of releases since a peak in 2004. The greatest decrease occurred in the years leading up to 2008, which coincides with the Asset Integrity Key Programme initiated by the HSE and committed to by industry. Since then, performance has largely been sustained at below 2008 levels. More specifically, the number of major and significant releases, which are those with the potential to escalate, have been reducing since before 2000. In 2016, the number of major and significant process releases reported (23) was the lowest on record and less than 20 per cent of the figure reported in 1997.

3

Figure 11: Number of Process Hydrocarbon Releases Occurring Offshore

250

Major and Significant Total Rolling Three-Year Average Major and Significant Rolling Three-Year Average Total

200

150

100

50

Number of Process Hydrocarbon Releases

0

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

Source: Health and Safety Executive

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