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The health and safety performance of the offshore oil and gas sector worsened last year, prompting fresh warnings that it must improve.
Provisional figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show 85 major and significant hydrocarbon releases regarded as potential precursors to a major incident during 2009/10.
There were 61 in 2008/09.
Fifty major injuries were reported last year – up 20 on 2008/09 and higher than the average of 42 over the previous five years.
Steve Walker, head of HSE’s offshore division, said: “This year’s overall health and safety picture is simply not good enough. The industry has shown it can do better and it must do in the future.
“I am disappointed and concerned that major and significant hydrocarbon releases are up by more than a third on last year.
“This is a key indicator of how well the offshore industry is managing its major accident potential and it must up its game to identify and rectify the root causes of such events.”
No workers were killed during activities regulated by HSE for the third year running.
The bad statistics cover the annual period up to three weeks before the Deepwater Horizon explosion, and come as the industry struggles to assert that its processes and techniques are safe against growing pressure from environmental NGOs.
Robert Paterson, trade association Oil & Gas UK’s health, safety and employment issues director, said: “Reducing the number of releases remains a top priority and is a focus of the industry’s commitment to improving process safety standards.
“The HSE figures also show an increase in the number of major injuries sustained and these are all things which we can’t – and won’t – be complacent about.
“The industry will reflect on these statistics and seek a way forward.”