KENSON PIPER ALPH PRESENTATION

UNIT 64 OUTCOME
2: RESEARCH &
PRESENTATION
ASSIGNMENT
The Piper Alpha Platform, North Sea, 6th July 1988

SUMMARY OF THE NEED
 To ensure proper handing-over procedures

among Operators and Technicians in an oil and gas production firm in Trinidad and
Tobago by analyzing how poor handover played a part in the Piper Alpha Tragedy.
 Based on the above analysis, proposals are

to be made to the contracting firm’s management team to make their operations safe.

THE PIPER ALPHA TRAGEDY

 Piper Alpha was a large fixed Structure

Platform located about 120 miles north east of Aberdeen that was linked to two other platforms; Claymore and Tartan
 At 10:00 pm 6th July 1988, a massive

explosion and subsequent fire led to the destruction of the platform. 167 men died on that day (including two crew men of rescue vessels). This deadly occurrence was due to the leaking of condensate from the unfinished maintenance of a pump and its safety valve.
 To date it is one of the most devastating

disasters the oil and gas industry has ever faced.
 This disaster contributed to many safety

procedures being reviewed and changed.

Piper Alpha platform before disaster ANALYSIS OF THE PIPER ALPHA TRAGEDY
According to the Cullen Report the causes of the disaster are as follows:
 A breakdown in the proper use of the permit –to-work system. No formal training in the use of this system by any workers on Piper Alpha.
 Poor handover procedures by existing supervisors and

shift leaders.
 Poor safety culture existed on Piper Alpha long before

the disaster. (Deficient hazard analysis ,disregard of hazard reports, lack of inter-platform drills, emergency water deluge system was on manual not automatic)

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROPOSAL
To highlight the problems that may occur and

provide recommendations to prevent them from occurring in the Oil and Gas firm.
To provide reference to the potential scenarios using

an analysis of the Piper Alpha tragedy.
To highlight the role poor