Oil & Gas UK, in association with Step Change in Safety and Maersk Oil, has handed out awards in six categories during the Offshore Safety Awards held at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre to people and companies excelling in North Sea safety.
During the event which took place on Wednesday, August 23, attendees heard from Maersk Oil COO Martin Rune Pedersen , and offshore worker Stuart Mann , who was representing Step Change in Safety’s G18 committee of elected safety reps.
Attendees also heard from each finalist about their nomination in an event format designed to aid sharing and learning.
The Chevron-sponsored Award for Safety Leadership , which recognizes motivational leaders who have had a positive impact on workplace safety, was awarded to Kevin Mitchell , offshore intervention team leader at ConocoPhillips. Mitchell has been a part of an offshore well intervention team which achieved 14 years without a recordable incident, ten of which under his leadership.
Safety Representative of the Year , an award sponsored by Wood Group, was won by Tommy Timms , an offshore technician at Nexen Petroleum UK. Timms, Nexen’s Safety Representative of the Year for 2016, supports the crew of the Golden Eagle installation.
Bureau Veritas sponsored this year’s Innovation in Safety award presented to Peterson in recognition of creating a range of interconnected digital logistics tools, which allowed improvements in safety procedures and provided cost savings.
The Halliburton-sponsored Workforce Engagement award was won by Team DSV Bibby Topaz for their commitment to worker involvement in safety and an improvement in safety performance.
This year’s Operational Integrity award, sponsored by Aker Solutions, was collected by Centrica in recognition of their increased efficiency and understanding of risks through sensible and proportionate risk management solutions.
Centrica sponsored the Sharing and Learning award presented to BP North Sea Aviation Team which developed, created, and shared an animation which demonstrates the effects and dangers of helicopter downdraft and increases understanding of the phenomenon.
Oil & Gas UK said that, in honor of the 20th anniversary of Step Change in Safety, there was an additional award for Outstanding Contribution .
The Offshore Safety Awards committee decided to present the award to Jake Molloy of the RMT union who championed safety throughout his career and during his ten years on the Step Change in Safety Leadership Team.
Mick Borwell , HSE policy director of Oil & Gas UK, said: “We heard details of some 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: “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.”