Safety first a must for oil and gas sector

When you operate in one of the harshest environments in the world, in an industry fraught with risk, every move has to be undertaken with safety as the starting point.

Since the Piper Alpha disaster three decades ago, and the horrific loss of life it resulted in, the oil and gas sector has remained acutely aware that any hint of complacency, any slip from its high standards, has the potential to result in catastrophe and awful tragedy.

And it is reassuring for everyone working on the UK Continental Shelf that a sharp reminder about the need to keep safety front and centre has come from inside the offshore industry itself.

Matt Abraham is not ringing an alarm bell when he says the sector is not doing as well as hoped on health and safety issues. However, he is ensuring that everyone is sitting up and listening about the need to never allow standards to dip.

This sort of self-assessment, and indeed self-policing, will be vital as companies try to balance maximising the North Sea’s remaining reserves with transitioning to the greener technologies which will become the future of energy supply.

Whatever other issues the industry has to address – whether that be the low-carbon revolution or diversifying its workforce – safeguarding its employees and the environment must remain its top priority.

“Any slip from high standards has the potential to result in catastrophe and tragedy”