§ Mr. DobsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy (1) what were the numbers of fatal accidents on oil platforms and other installations in the North sea in each year since 1978;
(2) how many workers on North sea oil and gas installations were killed and seriously injured, respectively, in each year since 1978;
(3) how many serious accidents, excluding fatal accidents, occurred on North sea oil and gas installations in each year since 1978.
§ Mr. WakehamThe number of fatalities and serious accidents—injuries to persons—on or near to offshore installations on the United Kingdom continental shelf reported to my Department from 1978 to 1989 are as follows:
Fatalities Serious Accidents 1978 4 40 1979 10 43 1980 4 45 1981 6 59 1982 14 39 1983 10 47 1984 13 59 1985 8 103 1986 3 101 1987 6 59 1988 1173 285 1989 3 85 1 167 relate to Piper Alpha. 2 Includes 11 of the 61 Piper Alpha survivors. Source: "Development of the Oil and Gas Resources of the United Kingdom". This is published annually and copies are held in the Library of the House.
§ Mr. DobsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy (1) what was the complement of full-time inspectors for North sea safety duties in his Department in each year since 1978; and what was the level of vacancies;
(2) how many professional inspectors are employed by his Department on North sea oil and gas installation inspections; and what was the equivalent figure in each year since 1978;
(3) how many full-time field inspectors are now engaged in offshore installations; and what was the equivalent figure in each year since 1978.
§ Mr. WakehamThe number of full-time professional inspectors employed in my Department's safety directorate, together with the complement and the number of vacancies is set out in the table.
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Date Complement Staff in Post Vacancies 1980 (June) 28 25 3 1981 (July) 33 31 2 1982 (March) 35 32 3 1985 (October) 33 27 6 1987 (March) 44 36 8 1988 (November) 46 39 7
Date Complement Staff in Post Vacancies 1989 (October) 46 42 4 1990 (October) 61 43 18 Prior to 1988, figures are available only for the dates shown. No part-time inspectors are employed.
§ Mr. DobsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy how many installations there are in the British section of the North sea; and what was the equivalent figure for each year since 1978.
§ Mr. WakehamInformation on the number of fixed platforms on the United Kingdom continental shelf and on mobile drilling activity—rig years—is shown in the table:
Fixed platforms1 Mobile drilling activity (rig years) 1978 55 18.1 1979 58 16.1 1980 60 20.6 1981 64 24.6 1982 67 30.1 1983 74 34.2 1984 84 49.1 1985 92 51.7 1986 110 35.3 1987 123 35.2 1988 131 50.7 1989 141 49.5 1 The number of oil and gas platforms which are on location either drilling, producing or under construction. Source: "Development of the Oil and Gas Resources of the United Kingdom". This is published annually and copies are held in the Library of the House.
§ Mr. DobsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy what was the total spent on the North sea safety inspectorate of his Department in each year since 1978 at constant prices.
§ Mr. WakehamThis information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. DobsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy how many inspectors are currently directly employed by each of the certifying authorities licensed by him to inspect North sea oil and gas installations.
§ Mr. WakehamThere are six certifying authorities appointed to carry out surveys and assessments of offshore installations in order to certify that they are fit for their intended purpose. They currently employ some 475 technical staff on this work.
§ Mr. DobsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy (1) how many of the prosecutions mounted against operations of North sea oil and gas installations arose from accidents and how many arose from regular inspections;
(2) if he will list the operators of North sea oil and gas installations who have been prosecuted in each year since 1978;
(3) how many prosecutions of operators of North sea oil and gas installations have been made in each year since 1978; and how many were successful.
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§ Mr. WakehamDecisions on prosecutions are taken by the appropriate legal authorities, taking into account reports submitted by my Department.
Details of companies convicted for breaches of health and safety legislation are as follows:
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Year and companies convicted Number of convictons 1978 Union Oil Co. of Great Britain 1 Shell UK Exploration and Production 1 Total 2 1979 Seagull Offshore Enterprises 1 1980 Stothert and Pitt Limited 1 1981 Chevron Petroleum (UK) Limited 1 1982 Southeastern Drilling Services 1 Bawden Drilling (UK) Limited 1 Dixilyn Field Drilling Venture 1 Halliburton Manufacturing and Services Limited 1 Shell UK Exploration and Production 2 BNOC (Development) Limited 2 Total 8 1983 Jack Tighe (Offshore) Limited 1 Western Oceanic Inc. 1 Heerema Offshore Contractors 1 Occidental Petroleum (Caledonia) Limited 1 Total 4 1984 Strathclyde Process Engineering Limited 1 Shell UK Exploration and Production 2 Western Oceanic (UK) Limited 2 Total 5 1985 BP Oil Development Limited 1 Rigblast Offshore Limited 1 Bawden International Limited 2 Global Marine Drilling Company 1 Wilh Wilhelmsen Enterprises Limited 1 Shell UK Exploration and Production 1 Jack Tighe (Offshore) Limited 1 Total 8 1986 OTIS Pressure Control Limited 1 1987 Sonat Offshore Limited 1 1988 Shell UK Exploration and Production 1 Occidental Petroleum (Caledonia) Limited 1 Santa Fe UK Limited 1 Total 3 1989 Mobil North Sea Limited 1 Shell UK Exploration and Production 1 Total 2 Information on the number of prosecutions resulting from accidents and from inspections is available only at disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. DobsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy how many prohibitions or improvement notices under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act have been issued since 1978 to operators of North sea oil and gas installations.
§ Mr. WakehamThirteen prohibition and improvement notices under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act have been served on offshore operators since 1978. My inspectors have additional powers under the Mineral Workings (Offshore Installations) Act 1971 to prohibit an activity or the use of equipment or to require improvements to be made. These powers have been designed specifically for offshore operations and are used extensively.
§ Mr. DobsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy when his Department first considered the installation of sub-sea emergency shut-off valves on oil and gas pipelines in the North sea.
§ Mr. WakehamFollowing development of sub-sea valve technology in the early 1980s, amendments were introduced in 1986 to the Institute of Petroleum pipeline safety code on the advice of a committee on which my pipelines inspectorate was represented. These amendments recommended that risk assessment should be undertaken for new large inventory trunk and interfield pipelines to assess the need for sub-sea valves. In August 1988 my director of safety wrote to all pipeline operators asking them to re-evaluate immediately the need for sub-sea isolation systems on all existing pipelines.
§ Mr. DobsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy what percentage of serious and fatal accidents on North sea oil and gas installations were investigated by his Department in each year since 1978.
§ Mr. WakehamIt is the policy of my safety directorate to investigate all fatal accidents on offshore installations. The percentage of serious accidents investigated since 1978 can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.