Oil & Gas UK Conference Marks 25th Anniversary of Piper Alpha Disaster

Oil & Gas UK is to hold a major offshore safety conference next summer, which will mark the 25th anniversary of the Piper Alpha disaster.

Piper 25 will be a three-day event held at Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre from 18 to 20 June 2013. It is aimed at bringing together people from across the oil and gas industry to reflect on the lessons learnt from the tragedy, review how far offshore safety has evolved since and to reinforce industry commitment to continuous improvement.

With Piper Alpha as a central theme, the conference will also explore broader safety issues and will feature high profile international speakers from a diverse range of backgrounds.

In addition, a series of technical presentations will be run in parallel – each focusing on a different theme.

The keynote speaker has been confirmed as Lord Cullen, who chaired the public inquiry into the disaster. Lord Cullen’s report made 106 recommendations which have since transformed the way safety is managed offshore – to the point where the UK regime is now regarded as a global exemplar.

Judith Hackett, Chair of the Health and Safety Executive has also been confirmed and more speakers will be announced in due course. Oil & Gas UK will shortly be issuing a call for papers for the workshop sessions.

Oil & Gas UK’s health and safety director, Robert Paterson, said: “Piper Alpha claimed the lives of 167 men and remains the world’s worst offshore disaster. Its magnitude and the impact it has had on the oil and gas industry cannot be overstated. Piper Alpha was a transformational event in every respect.

“Oil & Gas UK has decided to mark the 25th anniversary with an event which will draw on the experiences of people with direct knowledge of Piper Alpha, as well as those with a wider offshore safety background from the UK and abroad.

“Therefore Piper 25 will be open to anyone – whether they have a direct interest in Piper Alpha itself or in offshore safety more generally. It promises to serve as a reminder of what can happen when things go wrong and to galvanise the industry’s resolve to continuously improve offshore safety to ensure what happened that night in 1988 is never repeated.”

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Press Release, September 20, 2012