105 Piper Alpha was once Britain's biggest single oil and gas producing platform, built in 1976 and produced more than 300,000 barrels of crude a day – 10% of the country's total – from below the seabed 125 miles north-east of Aberdeen. Oil was discovered at the Piper field in 1973 and was brought on stream three years later. By 1980 the steel platform was modified to also take gas and was connected by pipeline to the Orkney Islands. It was producing about 300,000 barrels of oil a day for Occidental Petroleum Poor communication during a shift change resulted in a key piece of pipework that had been sealed with a temporary cover and no safety valve was used allowing gas to leak out and ignited while firewalls that would have resisted a fire on an oil platform failed to cope with the gas explosion over pressures. Flames reaching over 100m into the air forcing 61 men to survive by jumping 175ft (53m) from the rig's helicopter deck into the sea. The public enquiry that followed no criminal charges were brought against the company however, 106 recommendations for changes were recommended to the safety operations for the North Sea operations all of which we accepted by the oil industries. In the years that followed the piper Alpha disaster the oil companies have spent over £2bn on health and safety matters. Since this incident there has not been another North Sea blow out. Piper Alpha, North Sea July 6, 1988 Event Statistics Within two hours the rig had collapsed from its position 300ft above the surface of the sea and become a flaming pyre of twisted metal. Lessons Learned Duration of fire Number of casualties Cost to industry References 167 casualties £1.7 Billion plus Piper Alpha. 1988.[Online]. [Accessed 12 October 2014]. http://www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrpdf/rr089.pdf Piper Alpha. Judge Lard Cullen 2013.[Online]. [Accessed 23 October 2014]. http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-22863286 Type of fire Gas vapour explosion / hydrocarbon Massive leakage of gas condensate that was ignited causing an explosion, which led to large oil fires Ignition Source

Piper Alpha, North Sea - Fire Consultancyfireconsultancy.co.uk/.../2017/01/fcs-os-piper-alpha-north-sea.pdf105er Alpha. 1988.[Online]. [Accessed 12 October 2014]. 1 Piper Alpha was

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Page 1: Piper Alpha, North Sea - Fire Consultancyfireconsultancy.co.uk/.../2017/01/fcs-os-piper-alpha-north-sea.pdf105er Alpha. 1988.[Online]. [Accessed 12 October 2014]. 1 Piper Alpha was

105

PiperAlphawasonceBritain'sbiggestsingleoilandgasproducingplatform,builtin1976andproducedmorethan300,000barrelsofcrudeaday–10%ofthecountry'stotal–frombelowtheseabed125milesnorth-eastofAberdeen.OilwasdiscoveredatthePiperfieldin1973andwasbroughtonstreamthreeyearslater.By1980thesteelplatformwasmodifiedtoalsotakegasandwasconnectedbypipelinetotheOrkneyIslands.Itwasproducingabout300,000barrelsofoiladayforOccidentalPetroleumPoorcommunicationduringashiftchangeresultedinakeypieceofpipeworkthathadbeensealedwithatemporarycoverandnosafetyvalvewasusedallowinggastoleakoutandignitedwhilefirewallsthatwouldhaveresistedafireonanoilplatformfailedtocopewiththegasexplosionoverpressures.Flamesreachingover100mintotheairforcing61mentosurvivebyjumping175ft(53m)fromtherig'shelicopterdeckintothesea.

Thepublicenquirythatfollowednocriminalchargeswerebroughtagainstthecompanyhowever,106recommendationsforchangeswererecommendedtothesafetyoperationsfortheNorthSeaoperationsallofwhichweacceptedbytheoilindustries.

IntheyearsthatfollowedthepiperAlphadisastertheoilcompanieshavespentover£2bnonhealthandsafetymatters.

SincethisincidenttherehasnotbeenanotherNorthSeablowout.

PiperAlpha,NorthSeaJuly6,1988

EventStatistics

Withintwohourstherighadcollapsedfromitsposition300ftabovethesurfaceoftheseaand becomeaflamingpyreoftwistedmetal.

LessonsLearned

Durationoffire

Numberofcasualties

Costtoindustry

References

167casualties

£1.7Billionplus

PiperAlpha.1988.[Online].[Accessed12October2014].http://www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrpdf/rr089.pdfPiperAlpha.JudgeLardCullen2013.[Online].[Accessed23October2014].http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-22863286

TypeoffireGasvapourexplosion/hydrocarbon

Massiveleakageofgascondensatethatwasignitedcausinganexplosion,whichledtolargeoilfires

IgnitionSource