An inspection programme by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has led to major improvements in the offshore industry.
The HSE inspected 13 production operators between January 2022 and May 2024 as part of its Process Safety Leadership Principles (PSLP) programme.
In addition to their inspections, the HSE were also engaging with senior leaders at offshore firms and industry groups as they determined how PSLP was being embedded across the United Kingdom Continental Shelf (UKCS).
The programme was launched by HSE after it noted a stagnating safety record in the offshore industry.
Samantha Peace, Director of Energy Division at HSE, said: "One of the main successes from our PSLP programme is that offshore companies are now engaging with one another on an unprecedented level. We found that firms were looking at themselves, identifying areas of improvement, engaging with other companies and above all, finding solutions".
This has led to developments in process safety leadership, Major Accident Hazard (MAH) management and performance, workforce engagement and utilisation of the Elected Safety Representatives.
While there were successes from the programme, HSE found cumulative risk continues to be a challenge amongst offshore companies, with the regulator also noting that the industry is prepared to accept a greater degradation of MAH barriers, rather than fixing them.
The programme also identified that a reduction in headcount has consequently led to a decrease in skills, knowledge and competency in the industry.
Peace added: "Although the programme has now finished, we will continue to challenge industry".
"We will continue to question companies on how they are implementing PSLP and whether they are still collaborating with other firms on the same level we witnessed during the programme".
"We will also focus on the challenges we have identified in the industry, such as risk management and risk tolerance. It is not just down to HSE to develop safety standards in these areas however, companies will need to drive their own self-improvement. The PSLP programme shows that this can be done through collaboration, engagement and application – industry now needs to continue along this path".
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