The Piper Alpha Disaster

The Piper Alpha disaster and the subsequent Lord Cullen report is sometimes thought to be the birth of modern SMS.

All 106 recommendations from the report were adopted by the oil and gas industry including the requirement for ‘A Safety Case’ for each rig, the equivalent of an offshore SMS.

The disaster, while tragic, resulted in significantly increased safety while on offshore oil and gas installations

A personal account of the Piper Alpha disaster.

Background of the Piper Alpha explosion

Details and outcomes from the Piper Apha Disaster

• Management has a profit before all else Philosophy
• On-shore micromanagement ensured this
• Very poor leadership at all levels
• Majority that died did so still awaiting instructions
• The ‘Permit To Work’ system was often ignored when not convenient
• Deluge system was known to be largely unservicable
• Previous safety issues were ignored
• The rig had been modified for greater production without safety consideration
• Third party contractors were often viewed with suspicion and distrust by ‘The Rig Crew’
• Safety was often seen ‘as a joke’ by many regular workers on the rig
• There was no specific safety instruction for the rig
• Communication beyond ‘face-to-face’ once the disaster unfolded was virtually nil
• The Tharos, the largest, most expensive and advanced semi-submersible fire fighting and rescue vessel in the world was immediately alongside Piper Alpha for the very purpose of an emergency or disaster.