Sector: Offshore

Oil exploration company Chevron was served a prohibition notice in 2013 for corroded stairs and platform leading to a helideck on one of its offshore platforms, which a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector believed rendered the stairway unsafe.Appealing successfully against the notice at an employment tribunal, Chevron relied on an expert inspection and test of the stairway it had commissioned after receiving the notice. The expert’s report showed the metalwork passed British Standard strength test and was fit for use.

Shane Gorman, Workforce Engagement Coordinator for member-led organisation Step Change in Safety, said when workers are engaged they feel empowered to raise awareness of unsafe situations, preventing themselves and their colleagues from coming to harm.Shane was speaking at a meeting arranged by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health’s (IOSH) Offshore Group.

With organisations in the oil and gas, renewables and marine sectors working together more often, IOSH's Offshore Group  held the event to explore the risks they share and the solutions to them.One of the challenges highlighted by Chris Streatfeild, Director of Health and Safety for RenewableUK, is having different regulatory regimes. But, he added, this does not mean the sectors cannot combine to protect employees, citing the example of new guidelines for offshore emergency response which were published earlier this year and combined several organisations.

The event, arranged by IOSH's Offshore Group, will bring together the oil and gas, renewables and marine sectors.Simon Hatson, Chair of the IOSH group, said that with the three sectors expected to increasingly come together for combined operations in the future, it is vital that safety and health remains a priority to avoid employees getting injured or becoming unwell as a result of their work.Delegates at the event will hear examples of best practice in the sectors and how they have benefitted businesses.