UK Offshore Health & Safety: The statistics

Oil and Gas UK has released their Health and Safety Report 2016, which paints a picture of the current working conditions of offshore workers. Here, hydraulic power equipment supplier, Fraser Hydraulics, takes a look at the key findings from the report:

Personal safety

Over the past 15 years, personal safety on the UK Continental Shelf has improved. In 2015, there were no reported fatalities. In terms of non-fatal injuries per 100,000 workers, the average dropped by 24 per cent over the seven-year period from 2008 to 2015. This figure now stands at 430, compared to the 569 in 2008.

This injury rate is lower than some of the UK’s other industrial sectors, including manufacturing and construction — a huge achievement when you consider the level of risk involved in the offshore industry.

Specified injury rates per 100,000 workers have also decreased. As well as a 38 per cent decrease between 2000-01 and 2012-13, the rates tumbled by a further 20 per cent between 2013 and 2015 too. The most common type of specified injury are fractures, which excludes fingers, thumbs and toes.

Process safety

Also decreasing is the number of dangerous occurrences, dropping 30 per cent to nearly 300 from 425 in 2013. These occurrences are made up of everything from hydrocarbon releases (HCRs) to fires, explosions, weather damage and dropped objects. In fact, the total number of HCRs has dropped dramatically from 273 in 2004 to just 87 in 2015.

As the statistics show, the UK’s oil and gas offshore industry is constantly improving. This is terrific news, helping to safeguard the thousands of workers employed across the sector. With a lasting commitment to health and safety, the UK can continue to lead the way when it comes to offshore welfare.

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