DEPARTMENT FOR WORK
AND PENSIONS News Release (HSE-088) issued by The Government News
Network on 2 July 2008
Secretary of State
for Work and Pensions, James Purnell has today asked the Health
and Safety Executive (HSE) to review progress made by the offshore
industry in tackling issues identified in its safety report on
offshore oil and gas installations published last year.
The report, known as KP3, followed a three year programme of
interventions by HSE on nearly 100 offshore installations. Wide
variations in performance were found across the industry. In
particular, there was need for improvement in the key areas of top
level industry leadership where the major accident hazard risks
did not appear to be well understood, improved management of
installation and asset integrity, and greater value being placed
on the role the workforce at all levels can play in improving
health and safety and reducing the risks of major accidents.
James Purnell said:
"Much work has been done since the terrible events at Piper
Alpha in 1988 and the HSE has worked closely with the off-shore
industry to ensure that changes were made to make people's
lives safer.
"But we must not become complacent, we have to ensure this
work continues, which is why I have asked the HSE to carry out a
review of progress on the industry's response to the issues
identified by the 'KP3' Report.
"This will include a look at what improvements have been
made to create a stronger safety culture in which, of course, the
involvement of the work force is key."
Notes to editors
1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) regulates workplace
health and safety and its remit includes the offshore oil and gas sector.
2. HSE's sponsoring Department is the Department for Work
and Pensions.
3. The KP3 report follows a major investigation carried out by
HSE's Aberdeen based Offshore Division into the safety and
integrity of offshore installations and the equipment on them. A
copy of the report is at http://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/programme.htm
Website http://www.dwp.gov.uk
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