Lord Cullen of Whitekirk KT, the retired judge who led the inquiry into the Piper Alpha disaster, met with Bob Egan, the recently-appointed Head of Workforce Engagement in the HSE’s Energy Division.
They were joined by Ian Waldram, a member of IOSH’s Offshore Group Committee, and discussed the importance of the HSE’s worker engagement strategy within the industry.
IOSH arranged the meeting, held on Wednesday 12 August at the HSE’s offices in Lord Cullen House, Aberdeen, to examine the best ways of developing the initiative.
Lord Cullen oversaw the 13-month inquiry into the Piper Alpha explosion in July 1988, which killed 167 offshore workers. His report led to major health and safety changes within the industry, including defined roles for Health and Safety Committees and elected safety representatives.
He said he was pleased to meet with Mr Egan and hear about how he is leading the HSE’s strategy in the offshore sector.
“He comes with a very impressive record and will be a valuable addition for the HSE in increasing workforce engagement,” said Lord Cullen.
Lord Cullen emphasised the vital importance of members of the workforce being engaged in safety. They must be “error-aware” in their work, and management must be active in using workforce knowledge and experience to improve health and safety practices.
He said: “The offshore industry is unusual among other forms of employment as people must live in proximity to major hazards. A lot hinges on the way everyone behaves and how well they work together.
“Having two-way communications is vital. It is up to management to show leadership at all levels, and motivate the workforce to give priority to safety, so they can obtain honest feedback without fear of recrimination. Such feedback can include near misses, abnormalities, and failures in practices or communication.”
Mr Egan is on a two-year secondment from global oilfield services company Petrofac and has been personally involved in offshore health and safety over a 23-year career, including six years as a safety representative on two different installations.
He is tasked with ensuring offshore employers consistently engage their workforce on health and safety issues and also how they raise the understanding of safety representatives about major hazard risks and controls. He will carry a warrant and accompany inspectors on site visits, on and offshore. He will also support investigations and seek relevant information about worker engagement.
He said: “I wanted to meet Lord Cullen as he is still one of the most influential and inspiring people when it comes to safety in my industry. I would like to get his thoughts on the offshore industry post Piper Alpha, especially concerning Safety Reps and the engagement of the workforce.”
IOSH believes it is crucial that all workers are engaged in safety and health and supports HSE’s new initiative of appointing the first Inspector with experience as an offshore safety representative. The Institution also advocates strong leadership, worker involvement and access to good advice – so is happy to see worker engagement expertise deployed in this way.
Mr Waldram said: “I was at a meeting where Bob said that, though he worked in Lord Cullen House, he had never met Lord Cullen. I spoke with him afterwards and said I knew Lord Cullen slightly through my IOSH activities and, if he wished, would try to put them in touch with each other. I’m delighted that, with the help of IOSH and HSE, they were able to meet today and share experiences.”