6 July 2013 marks a quarter of a century of the Piper Alpha offshore oil platform disaster in the North Sea (approximately 110 miles (180 km) from Aberdeen Scotland).
On July 6, 1988, a series of catastrophic explosions and fires destroyed the platform. Of the 226 people on the platform at the time of the event, 165 died along with two emergency response personnel during a rescue attempt. The platform was totally destroyed.
Piper Alpha – report of the event: http://bit.ly/18Aiygv
Piper Alpha – the lessons: http://bit.ly/15jNsGM
Piper Alpha – the lessons: http://bit.ly/15jNsGM
Based upon eyewitness accounts it was concluded that a release of light hydrocarbon occurred when a pump was restarted after having been prepared for maintenance (Investigation was hindered by a lack of physical evidence). Unknown to the workers starting the pump, a relief valve in the pump discharge had been removed for maintenance. A blank had been loosely installed in place of the relief valve at a location which was not readily visible from the pump vicinity. When the pump was started this blank leaked, producing a flammable cloud, which subsequently found an ignition source. The pump was started at about 10 PM, and by 1 AM, three hours later, the platform had been entirely destroyed and most of its occupants had been killed.
As would be expected in a disaster of this magnitude, the investigation identified many root causes related to design, operation, safety culture, emergency response, and training.
Confirming my commitment to improve safety in all the process industries.
Confirming my commitment to improve safety in all the process industries.
Sources/References:
Piper 25 Conference Oil & Gas UK http://www.oilandgasuk.co.uk/events/Piper25/Presentations.cfm
Posts
