{"id":15962,"date":"2018-08-17T14:57:44","date_gmt":"2018-08-17T13:57:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=15962"},"modified":"2020-11-12T12:58:17","modified_gmt":"2020-11-12T12:58:17","slug":"piper-alpha-anniversary-conference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=15962","title":{"rendered":"‘Never again’"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

This year marks the 30th <\/sup>anniversary of the deadliest offshore disaster in history, when the Piper Alpha platform burst into flames, killing 167 of the 228 people either working on the rig or patrolling in a safety vessel nearby.\u00c2\u00a0Thirty people were never accounted for.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

An investigation later found that the operator Occidental Petroleum\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s safety procedures had been grossly inadequate \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the resulting report into the disaster by Lord Cullen made over 100 recommendations on improving health and safety offshore.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Piper Alpha was originally an oil-only platform but was fitted for gas production in 1980. Before the rig\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s modification to include gas, staff quarters were kept well away from the most dangerous production components of the rig. But afterwards, gas compression units were placed next to the control room.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The safety problems were compounded when the operator decided it would not stop oil and gas production as it carried out construction, maintenance and upgrade works. On the night of the disaster, following a shift change, staff did not realise they were not supposed to be using a piece of pipework that was sealed with a temporary cover and which had no safety valve.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

An ensuing gas leak caused a mass explosion and the platform went up in flames. The raging fire was not fully brought under control until three weeks later. The disaster that killed 167 has to this day cast a shadow over the affected families, the offshore workforce, and their communities.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unite and other offshore unions both in the UK and Denmark and Norway have committed themselves to ensuring that another Piper Alpha disaster never happens again.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Reflections<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The Offshore Coordinating Group, including Unite, RMT, GMB, Nautilus International and Balpa, along with Danish union Dansk Metal and Norwegian union Industri Energi, convened in Aberdeen this week for a \u00e2\u20ac\u015bReflections on Piper Alpha\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 conference.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unite assistant general secretary Tony Burke said the purpose of the conference was to both commemorate those who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve lost their lives and ensure that each and every lesson from the Alpha Piper disaster is learned.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt was also a great opportunity to work together with our offshore sister unions in the UK and as well as in Denmark and Norway,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bOffshore workers in the North Sea toil under the most dangerous conditions in the world,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Burke told UNITElive. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bHealth and safety is vital; despite oil being a major cash-generating industry, we absolutely cannot accept any cutting of corners that puts workers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 lives at risk.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Many of the same health and safety issues that plagued the industry at the time of the Piper Alpha tragedy are resurfacing — a fact that was highlighted at the conference.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWork\/life balance is a major issue, with workers being expected to take on longer and longer shifts and to spend less time onshore between shifts,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Burke noted. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bAnother issue we are campaigning on is helicopter safety. It is just as important for workers to travel safely offshore and return home as it is for them to be safe while they are working.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe cannot allow the industry and its penchant for cutting safety corners to profit off the backs of workers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 lives,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bOffshore unions stand firm together in our commitment as we say to the industry in no uncertain terms \u00e2\u20ac\u201c never again.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unite regional officer Tommy Campbell and Offshore Coordinating Group chairman Tommy Campbell agreed.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe trade unions are extremely concerned about the impact of the low oil price, the drive to improve efficiency and increase production, and the continuing pressure to reduce costs at all costs,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he told Energy Voice<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bAs we reflect on the tragic events of 1988 and Piper Alpha, we feel the tone of our \u00e2\u20ac\u0098Reflections\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 conference and the content should serve as a timely reminder to industry that the most important element of their operations is, and will always remain, the offshore workers we represent. \u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

At the conference, Campbell recited the poem \u00e2\u20ac\u015bDeath of a Piper\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 written by Piper Alpha survivor John Fyvie. You can read the poem republished on UNITELive here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the deadliest offshore disaster in history, when the Piper Alpha platform burst into flames, killing 167 of the 228 people either working on the rig or patrolling in a safety vessel nearby.\u00c2\u00a0Thirty people were never accounted for.   An investigation later found that the operator Occidental Petroleum\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s safety […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4668,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[17],"tags":[290,551,543],"wps_subtitle":"Unions convene to mark Piper Alpha disaster\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s 30th anniversary","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15962"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15962"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15962\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25959,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15962\/revisions\/25959"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15962"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15962"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15962"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}