HSE said there was also a marked rise in 2009/10 of the combined number of major and significant hydrocarbon releases, regarded as potential precursors to a major incident. There were 85 hydrocarbon releases in 2009/10, compared with 61 in the year before.
The HSE's Steve Walker said he is concerned that major and significant hydrocarbon releases are up by more than a third on last year, and sees this as a key indicator of how well the offshore industry is managing its major accident potential.
Walker has called on the offshore industry to "up its game" to identify and rectify the root causes of such events.
"We will continue to take a tough line on companies who put their workers at risk. The challenge to improve safety will be ever greater as more offshore installations exceed their original design life," Walker said.
"Our new inspection initiative will check safety management plans to ensure ageing is being taken into account, but the responsibility for getting safety right in the first place rests where it always has - with the duty holders," he added.
OFFSHORE MAJOR INJURIES UP 67%
HSE statistics also showed major injuries reported in 2009/10 were up 67% from 30 in 2008/09 to 50 and above the average of 42 in the past five years. The combined fatal and major injury rate almost doubled to 192 per 100,000 workers in 2009/10, from 106 in 2008/09.
Incidents occurring in marine and transport activities are not regulated by HSE, so there were no offshore fatalities recorded for the third consecutive year.
However, there were 17 workers killed in offshore travel related incidents, which HSE offshore division head Steve Walker said is a stark reminder that hazards are ever present offshore.
"Although the overall numbers of injury and dangerous occurrences are comparatively low, considering a workforce of almost 27,000 and the numbers of rigs and the continuous operations undertaken, this does not excuse the fact that the fatal and major injury rate has almost doubled," Walker said.
"This year's overall health and safety picture is simply not good enough," he said. "The industry has shown it can do better and it must do in future."
On a more positive note, 2009/10 HSE said there was also a significant reduction in the minor over-three-day injury rate, with 414 workers per 100,000 reporting an injury, compared with 496 in the previous year.
Additionally, dangerous occurrences also fell by 34 to 443.
China Chemical Weekly: http://news.chemnet.com/en/detail-1403616.html
