The people and companies doing their utmost for offshore safety have been recognised for their efforts at a key industry event.
The winning entries of six categories were announced at the Offshore Safety Awards, jointly organised by Oil & Gas UK and Step Change in Safety, with Maersk Oil as principal sponsor.
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The Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference event heard speeches from Maersk Oil Chief Operating Officer, Martin Rune Pedersen, and offshore worker and award-winning safety rep, Stuart Mann, who was representing Step Change in Safety’s G18 committee of elected safety reps.
Attendees also heard ‘pitches’ from each finalist about their nomination in an event format designed to aid sharing and learning.
The Chevron-sponsored Award for Safety Leadership, which recognises motivational leaders who have had a positive impact on workplace safety, was awarded to Kevin Mitchell, Offshore Intervention Team Leader at ConocoPhillips.
Kevin has been an integral part of the offshore well intervention team which has now achieved 14 years without a recordable incident, with 10 of these years under Kevin’s time as the Team Leader.
Safety Representative of the Year – sponsored by Wood Group – was won by Tommy Timms, Offshore Technician at Nexen Petroleum UK in recognition of his role as an enthusiastic and committed safety representative who is furthering the safety agenda at their worksite.
Tommy, Nexen’s Safety Representative of the Year for 2016, supports the crew of the Golden Eagle installation by sharing weekly safety messages and ensuring two-way communication between management and staff.
Bureau Veritas sponsored this year’s Innovation in Safety award, which was presented to Peterson in recognition of their efforts to put in place a process or technique which has improved safety either across an organisation or at an individual worksite.
Peterson has created a range of interconnected digital logistics tools, which have allowed for improvements in safety procedures and provided cost savings.
The award for Workforce Engagement – sponsored by Halliburton – was won by Team DSV Bibby Topaz for their commitment to worker involvement in safety and an improvement in safety performance.
The team on the DSV Bibby Topaz responded to workforce feedback from a recent safety culture survey. They used this information to positively enhance Bibby Offshore’s Safety Leadership in Action programme.
Aker Solutions sponsored this year’s Operational Integrity award, which was collected by Centrica in recognition of their increased efficiency and understanding of risks through sensible and proportionate risk management solutions.
Bob Taylor and the asset integrity DROPS campaign team at Centrica act as a ‘fast response’ team to address damage or wear to jacket structures/topsides which are nearing the end of their design life, guarding against incidents and dropped objects and rectifying issues with new resources at their disposal.
The award for Sharing and Learning – sponsored by Centrica – was presented to BP North Sea Aviation Team for demonstrating learning and sharing culture within their organisation and/or making a significant contribution to health and safety through active participation in, or engagement with, Oil & Gas UK or Step Change in Safety.
BP’s North Sea Aviation Team has developed, created and shared an animation which demonstrates the effects and dangers of helicopter downdraft and increases workforce understanding around this phenomenon.
To mark the 20th anniversary of Step Change in Safety there was also an additional award – Outstanding Contribution.
The Offshore Safety Awards committee decided to present the award to Jake Molloy of the RMT union.
Jake has championed safety throughout his career and in his 10 years on the Step Change in Safety Leadership Team has always been outspoken and fundamentally committed to safety and workforce engagement.
Mick Borwell, Health Safety and Environment Policy Director, Oil & Gas UK said: “We heard details of some really great safety initiatives and it must have been a tough call for our judges and those voting at the event to come to their final decisions. We always say safety is a core value for our industry but our event actually demonstrates that, and all our finalists should be proud of the part they are playing in keeping our people safe.”
Les Linklater, Executive Director of Step Change in Safety, said: “Every year we see an increase in innovation and dedication to safety offshore. This year’s winners and finalists have shown that if you think outside the box there are practices, procedures and innovations which enhance the safety of those working in our industry. We are delighted that this year’s awards were so well received and I’d like to thank the nominees, finalists and winners for playing their part in helping us progress towards making the UKCS the safest place to work in the global oil and gas industry.”
