The human dimension of piper alpha always comes first to our minds and remains with us when the precise course of events or the technical. Lord cullen was given a wideranging remit and was able to probe matters to whatever depth he thought appropriate to. The first cullen report was prompted by occidental petroleums piper alpha disaster on 6 july 1988, in which gas condensate ignited, killing 167 of the 229 people on board the oil platform in only 22 minutes dunblane. Their implementation became the responsibility of industry and the offshore safety division osd of hse in its role as the single regulatory body for. Speech by bob fryar, executive vice president, safety and. Uk safety regime in spotlight after cullen inquiry report. Piper alpha 30 years on page 2 army rumour service. The 106 recommendations made in his landmark 1990 report reshaped offshore safety culture. North sea oil and gas industry, following a comprehensive inquiry led by lord cullen. In november 1988, a public inquiry, led by lord william cullen, was initiated to investigate and establish the cause of the catastrophe, reaching a conclusion almost exactly 2 years later in november of 1990. Happily, lord caplan survived the trial and handed down his judgment in september 1997. He formerly served as lord justice general and lord president of the court of session, and was an additional lord of appeal in the house of lords prior to the transfer of its judicial functions to the supreme court. In his report, lord cullen says that operators should sharpen their responsibilities for analysing hazards and documentation of systemsand so they should. Piper alpha atform from the,xlpha forll the all pi.
A quarter of century after the piper alpha disaster, offshore. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. This arrived at the same time that dnv gl published a report showing nearly half of oil and gas professionals believe not enough has been invested in safety in recent years and that worryingly, less than a third were committed to remedying the situation source. The response from industry and government was very. Little physical evidence remained, and no senior member of piper alpha s management team survived. Landmark piper alpha cullen report now free to download. North sea operating practices and regulations lie ahead. The public inquiry into the piper alpha disaster journal. Piper alpha report made free to public after charges. The cullen report concluded that the initial explosion was caused by a leak of. Landmark piper alpha cullen report now free to download news. Piper alpha cullen report bills presented in the house of commons at 10. A total of 167 men were killed when explosions ripped.
William douglas cullen, baron cullen of whitekirk, kt, qc, pc, frse, freng born 18 november 1935 is a former senior member of the scottish judiciary. A public inquiry, undertaken by lord cullen at the request of the government, was. The inquiry began in november 1988, with lord cullen s report being published in. In addition to determining the cause, the cullen inquiry included a second part which looked at the lessons learnt from the piper alpha incident and the general state of safety in the uk sector of the north sea.
One of the recommendations arising from lord cullen s report on the piper alpha disaster 1, was that operators safety management systems should be based upon quality management principles. The inquiry began in november 1988, with lord cullen s report being published in november 1990. Cullen report left no stone unturned news for the oil. Parkinson, the present secretary of state for transport, set up the public inquiry on july 1988 and. The cullen report can refer to one of three reports of public inquiries into disasters that were overseen by william cullen, baron cullen of whitekirk. Lord cullen, author of the report on the piper alpha disaster, changed the face of offshore safety. Piper alpha 30 years on page 3 army rumour service. The first was to investigate the causes of the disaster. The third cullen report was a result of lord cullen s. The change in safety management for offshore oil and gas.
The conference marked the anniversary of the piper alpha disaster, which lord cullen investigated on behalf of the government. Friend and predecessor, the member for hertsmere mr. It wasnt easy to establish the cause of the disaster. On 6 july 1988, an explosion and fire ripped through the piper alpha oil platform located in. On july 6, 1988, the piper alpha oil platform experienced a series of 10 catastrophic explosions and fires. Pipe lift raft on its aunching platform efore h, init. Piper alpha and the cullen report, industrial law journal, volume 20, issue 3, 1 september 1991, pages 176187. Piper alpha and the cullen report industrial law journal. Lecture by brian appleton technical adviser to the enquiry on piper alpha accident.
This series contains the records of the public inquiry, chaired by the hon lord cullen between 11 november 1988 and 15 february 1990, into the accident on the piper alpha offshore drilling platform. While this 5 summary has been condensed and paraphrased, it is believed to been consistent with the facts and conclusions outlined in the cullen report. Speaker, i would like to make a statement about the report of the public inquiry into the piper alpha disaster. This article compares two industrial disasters in the offshore oil industry, the explosion and fire on piper alpha off the coast of scotland in 1988, the worlds worst offshore disaster, and the.
The first was to establish the causes of the disaster. The inquiry commenced with a preliminary hearing in aberdeen on 11 november 1988 and lord cullen s report was presented to the secretary of state on the 19 october 1990. If anyone knows whether the lessons of piper alpha have been learned, it must be lord cullen. Piper alpha cullen report hc deb 07 march 1991 vol 187 cc473556 473. Preventable disasters in the offshore oil industry.
The piper alpha disaster, which remains the worst offshore accident to date, drew the attention of the offshore industry and the regulators to the damage that could arise in the event of an explosion and fire on an offshore platform and triggered many changes that shaped the current offshore regulatory and operating environment. The inquiry heard evidence from a large number of witnesses, including most of the survivors, and from several experts. The inquiry began in november 1988, with lord cullens report being published in. Sir brian appletons lecture broadcast by the bbc provides an incredibly useful insight into the piper alpha disaster and the subsequent enquiry. William cullen, baron cullen of whitekirk wikipedia. From piper alpha to deepwater horizon lord cullen s report. Piper alpha lessons not forgotten, lord cullen says. Oti 95 633, lord cullen, piper alpha disaster, offshore health and safety, improvement, osd created date. I have read lord cullen s report into the 1988 disaster, and the reports on. Lord cullen led the official public inquiry into the disaster in two parts.
This shows up in changes in the way work is controlled, how engineering is used to prevent fires and explosions, and many other areas. The cullen report made 106 recommendations for changes to north sea safety procedures. Lord cullen at the safety 30 piper alpha conference at aecc in june 2018. Lord cullen carried out an exhaustive inquiry into the 1988 tragedy, when. Lord cullen chaired the official public inquiry into the disaster in two parts. Cullen report piper alpha alpha perspectives 6th july this assumption, so easy to criticise with cullen report piper alpha, was based on several premises, the most important being that no event on piper alpha would render the helideck inoperative almost immediately and that sufficient helicopters would be available to evacuate everyone on board. Speaking at the conference, he said management had failed to accept signs of danger in the years of the worlds. In 1996, lord cullen led the inquiry into the massacre at dunblane primary school ladbroke grove. The second made recommendations for changes to the safety regime. The public inquiry into the piper alpha disaster cm 10. The public inquiry into the piper alpha disaster the hon. Public inquiry into the piper alpha disaster the lord cullen report. A landmark report into the piper alpha disaster has finally been made free to the public, decades since its publication. All of these recommendations were accepted by uk government.
The man who led the public inquiry into the piper alpha disaster said last night that the lessons of the tragedy have not been forgotten. The first cullen report was prompted by occidental petroleums piper alpha. Lord cullen s report1 was published on november 1990. The third cullen report was a result of lord cullens appointment to chair the. Sir brian appleton acted as a technical adviser during lord cullen s inquiry into the piper alpha disaster. As a result of the cullen report, health and safety measures in the north.