The 106 recommendations made in his landmark 1990 report reshaped offshore safety culture. Preventable disasters in the offshore oil industry. The first was to establish the causes of the disaster. North sea operating practices and regulations lie ahead. Lord cullen carried out an exhaustive inquiry into the 1988 tragedy, when. Landmark piper alpha cullen report now free to download news. The inquiry began in november 1988, with lord cullen s report being published in november 1990. Lord cullen chaired the official public inquiry into the disaster in two parts. The cullen report made 106 recommendations for changes to north sea safety procedures. Lord cullen at the safety 30 piper alpha conference at aecc in june 2018. Lord cullen effective produced a landmark report and the accident acted as a real catalyst for change.
The first was to investigate the causes of the disaster. On july 6, 1988, the piper alpha oil platform experienced a series of 10 catastrophic explosions and fires. Piper alpha cullen report bills presented in the house of commons at 10. William cullen, baron cullen of whitekirk wikipedia. Little physical evidence remained, and no senior member of piper alpha s management team survived. Operations in the oil and gas industry necessarily have to rely on the actions of members of the workforce. While this 5 summary has been condensed and paraphrased, it is believed to been consistent with the facts and conclusions outlined in the cullen report. Piper alpha 30 years on page 3 army rumour service. A total of 167 men were killed when explosions ripped. The inquiry began in november 1988, with lord cullens report being published in. Oti 95 633, lord cullen, piper alpha disaster, offshore health and safety, improvement, osd created date. Piper alpha and the cullen report, industrial law journal, volume 20, issue 3, 1 september 1991, pages 176187. Piper alpha atform from the,xlpha forll the all pi.
The public inquiry into the piper alpha disaster journal. Sir brian appletons lecture broadcast by the bbc provides an incredibly useful insight into the piper alpha disaster and the subsequent enquiry. This shows up in changes in the way work is controlled, how engineering is used to prevent fires and explosions, and many other areas. The cullen report can refer to one of three reports of public inquiries into disasters that were overseen by william cullen, baron cullen of whitekirk. This article compares two industrial disasters in the offshore oil industry, the explosion and fire on piper alpha off the coast of scotland in 1988, the worlds worst offshore disaster, and the. I have read lord cullen s report into the 1988 disaster, and the reports on. The inquiry commenced with a preliminary hearing in aberdeen on 11 november 1988 and lord cullen s report was presented to the secretary of state on the 19 october 1990. Piper alpha 30 years on page 2 army rumour service. In his report, lord cullen says that operators should sharpen their responsibilities for analysing hazards and documentation of systemsand so they should. If anyone knows whether the lessons of piper alpha have been learned, it must be lord cullen. Lord cullen s report1 was published on november 1990.
Piper alpha and the cullen report industrial law journal. On 6 july 1988, an explosion and fire ripped through the piper alpha oil platform located in. Public inquiry into the piper alpha disaster the lord cullen report. Speech by bob fryar, executive vice president, safety and.
Happily, lord caplan survived the trial and handed down his judgment in september 1997. Piper alpha cullen report hc deb 07 march 1991 vol 187 cc473556 473. The man who led the public inquiry into the piper alpha disaster said last night that the lessons of the tragedy have not been forgotten. Operators in the north sea should never forget that 36,000 people work offshore there. In addition to determining the cause, the cullen inquiry included a second part which looked at the lessons learnt from the piper alpha incident and the general state of safety in the uk sector of the north sea. It wasnt easy to establish the cause of the disaster. The inquiry heard evidence from a large number of witnesses, including most of the survivors, and from several experts. Sir brian appleton acted as a technical adviser during lord cullen s inquiry into the piper alpha disaster. Lord cullen was given a wideranging remit and was able to probe matters to whatever depth he thought appropriate to. Piper alpha report made free to public after charges. Lecture by brian appleton technical adviser to the enquiry on piper alpha accident. All of these recommendations were accepted by uk government. Piper alpha lessons not forgotten, lord cullen says.
The second made recommendations for changes to the safety regime. Their implementation became the responsibility of industry and the offshore safety division osd of hse in its role as the single regulatory body for. As a result of the cullen report, health and safety measures in the north. William douglas cullen, baron cullen of whitekirk, kt, qc, pc, frse, freng born 18 november 1935 is a former senior member of the scottish judiciary.
A landmark report into the piper alpha disaster has finally been made free to the public, decades since its publication. Landmark piper alpha cullen report now free to download. The human dimension of piper alpha always comes first to our minds and remains with us when the precise course of events or the technical. Speaker, i would like to make a statement about the report of the public inquiry into the piper alpha disaster. Cullen report left no stone unturned news for the oil. The third cullen report was a result of lord cullen s. Uk safety regime in spotlight after cullen inquiry report. Speaking at the conference, he said management had failed to accept signs of danger in the years of the worlds.
A public inquiry, undertaken by lord cullen at the request of the government, was. Lord cullen, author of the report on the piper alpha disaster, changed the face of offshore safety. A quarter of century after the piper alpha disaster, offshore. Lord cullen led the official public inquiry into the disaster in two parts. North sea oil and gas industry, following a comprehensive inquiry led by lord cullen. The inquiry began in november 1988, with lord cullen s report being published in. From piper alpha to deepwater horizon lord cullen s report. The second was to make recommendations for changes to the safety regimes already in place. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext.
The first cullen report was prompted by occidental petroleums piper alpha. Pipe lift raft on its aunching platform efore h, init. One of the recommendations arising from lord cullen s report on the piper alpha disaster 1, was that operators safety management systems should be based upon quality management principles. The change in safety management for offshore oil and gas. In 1996, lord cullen led the inquiry into the massacre at dunblane primary school ladbroke grove. The public inquiry into the piper alpha disaster the hon. The third cullen report was a result of lord cullens appointment to chair the. Parkinson, the present secretary of state for transport, set up the public inquiry on july 1988 and. Friend and predecessor, the member for hertsmere mr. The cullen report concluded that the initial explosion was caused by a leak of. The conference marked the anniversary of the piper alpha disaster, which lord cullen investigated on behalf of the government. Pdf preventable disasters in the offshore oil industry. The response from industry and government was very. He formerly served as lord justice general and lord president of the court of session, and was an additional lord of appeal in the house of lords prior to the transfer of its judicial functions to the supreme court.
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