The UK offshore oil and gas industry must maintain a relentless focus on safe operations, a two-day safety conference opening today in Aberdeen has been told.

The UK offshore oil and gas industry must maintain a relentless focus on safe operations, a two-day safety conference opening today in Aberdeen has been told.

The Safety 30 event, which has garnered almost 700 attendees, is looking at how the legacy of the Piper Alpha incident shaped current offshore operations. Safety 30 was organized by Oil & Gas UK in association with the International Regulators’ Forum.

“Thirty years on from the Piper Alpha disaster, our conference provides an opportunity to consider and reflect on a number of themes,” Deirdre Michie, Oil & Gas UK chief executive, said in her opening address to the conference.

“The past, the journey we have taken on safety over three decades driven by the legacy of that dreadful night and its aftermath; the present, the way in which operations today continue to be shaped as a result of Piper Alpha; and the future, the challenges we must embrace to ensure we retain a relentless focus on safe operations in an ever changing and challenging business and operational environment,” Michie added.

“Crucially we must continually think the unthinkable in our industry, as even though there was an appreciation of major accident hazards at risks at the time of Piper Alpha, the scale of the incident that unfolded was unimaginable. And quite rightly, it represented a watershed moment for health and safety in our industry,” Michie continued.

Deirdre Michie opens - welcoming Lord Cullen and other other notable guests including 100 safety representatives from across the UKCS.

— Oil & Gas UK (@oilandgasuk)

Martin Temple, chair of the Health and Safety Executive, told the conference that the impact of the Piper Alpha disaster created a ripple effect that had far reaching consequences.

“As an industry, across regulators, operators and the supply chain we must remain focused on how our activities can prevent another major incident,” Temple said.

. Chair Martin Temple opens the conference - “It’s right that we pay tribute to the 167 men that died that night” and notes that there are lessons for all high hazard industries across the world.

— Oil & Gas UK (@oilandgasuk)

The conference also heard from Lord Cullen whose public inquiry into the 1986 incident led to the health and safety regime the industry has today.

Lord Cullen outlines the events which took place on the night of the Piper Alpha disaster

— Oil & Gas UK (@oilandgasuk)