Piper alpha disaster book

Summary the investigation into the piper alpha disaster has much to teach us thirty years on. Piper alpha disaster news, views, gossip, pictures, video. For those interested, the documentary, piper alpha seconds from disaster goes into more detail as to why the disaster occurred. Piper alpha disaster joe meanen, who jumped into the sea from the burning platform, with gary gallagher, who survived a 32ft fall from a hotel roof, to make workplaces safer.

Piper alpha disaster news, views, gossip, pictures. At weeks end more than 100 contract workers who had been refurbishing three other british platforms left their jobs, out of concern for their safety. The man responsible for the exhaustive public inquiry into the piper alpha disaster has condemned management for ignoring warning signs the tragedy could take place. The piper alpha incident is still regarded as the worst offshore oil disaster in the history of the uk. At about 10 pm, a simple miscommunication and safety lapse involving one of the platforms two condensate pumps caused a chain reaction, culminating in a chain reaction of explosions that completely destroyed the entire piper alpha oil rig. The inquiry was critical of piper alphas operator, occidental, which was found guilty of having inadequate maintenance and safety procedures, but no criminal charges were ever brought against the company. The piper alpha was a north sea oil production platform operated by occidental petroleum caledonia ltd. Piper alpha disaster anniversary of tragedy in the north sea. Although fire in the night dvd touches on that, its not its sole purpose. Pipe lift raft on its aunching platform efore h, init. This is piper alpha spiral to disaster bbc by green world group on vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them. Piper alpha was an oil production platform in the north sea approximately 120 miles 190 km. Piper alpha was an oil production platform in the north sea approximately 120 miles 190 km northeast of aberdeen, scotland, that was operated by occidental petroleum caledonia limited.

The vast inferno created by simultaneous eruptions from ruptured gas and. At the time of the disaster, piper was one of the heaviest platforms along with magnus and brae b operating in the north sea. It concluded that the initial condensate leak was the result of maintenance work being carried out simultaneously on a pump and related safety valve. Piper alpha survivors recall disaster 25 years on business. About piper alpha 15 it was discovered in 1973 by occidental petroleum caledonia in 1975 piper alpha oil rig was constructed on july 6th 1988, an explosion of the piper alpha platform 3 4. A safety valve had been removed from this pipe work for overhaul and maintenance. After 180 days of proceedings, it released its report public inquiry into the piper alpha disaster short. This week marks the 23th anniversary of the worst offshore oil disaster in history.

Jul 04, 20 the piper alpha disaster which killed 167 workers on 6 july 1988 off the coast of aberdeen is the worldsdeadliest ever oil rig accident. The piper alpha is placed in the north sea, around 193 km northeast of aberdeen. Professionalismpiper alpha oil rig disaster wikibooks, open. So other platforms continued production and pumping of gas for sometime which supplied additional fuel to the fire at piper. The other was the devastating fire on the piper alpha production platform in 1988 which killed 167 men, reminded us of the human cost of. Public lists that include survivors of the piper alpha oil. On july 6, 1988, in the piper oilfield, north sea, the worlds deadliest offshore oil industry disaster took place. Heroic diver left traumatised by piper alpha disaster has. Learning from the piper alpha accident the offshore platform piper alpha, which was lo cated in the british sector of the north sea oil field and operated by occidental petroleum, was engulfed in a catastrophic fire on july 6, 1988. It shows how greed and big business cost the lives of 167 men who were just doing their jobs.

Preventable disasters in the offshore oil industry. It produced oil from 24 wells and in its early life it had also produced gas from two wells. Professionalismpiper alpha oil rig disaster wikibooks. This, rae said, coupled with the lack of leadership on the piper alpha, resulted in the ongoing escalation of the disaster and ultimately the loss of 167 lives and the platform. Conference on chemical industrial disaster management cidm explosion the explosion disabled the main communication system which was centered on piper.

Yet, overall, this is an important book, executed masterfully, which should serve as an accessible record of a historical tragedy. The piper alpha disaster kindle edition by mcginty, stephen. A true story of the piper alpha disaster on the north. The public inquiry into the piper alpha disaster journal. It began production in 1976, but on july 6, 1988 it was the site of the worlds. The piper alpha tragedy had a profound impact on the development of process safety culture and legislation, not just in the uk, but throughout the world much has been written about this tragic accident and much has.

The public inquiry into the piper alpha disaster book. To prevent such incidents from occurring in the future, rae insisted that the workforce must be engaged, empowered, and committed to a safety culture in oil production. Another book on this same incident, death and oil, has a halfdecent diagram, but the web search ones are superior. British sector north sea oil field 120 miles aberdeen scotland 4 5. Bbc nine oclock news piper alpha 7th july 1988 part one duration. Alpha piper disaster introduction the accident, which occurred on board of the seaward platform piper alpha in july 1988, took lives of 167 people and cost billions of dollars damage of property. The book of the same name is also very good and is naturally more detailed. When he details the unfortunate history of fires, explosions, even collapses, of rigs, the piper alpha disaster is put into context, making rig work one of the most hazardous jobs on the planet. Occidental issued no orders to either tartan or claymore to shut down and operators believed they did not have authority to stop export from piper alpha, though they could see the piper burning. The crew worked to resolve the issue before platform production was affected.

Feb 12, 2018 about piper alpha 15 it was discovered in 1973 by occidental petroleum caledonia in 1975 piper alpha oil rig was constructed on july 6th 1988, an explosion of the piper alpha platform 3 4. Daughter of piper alpha victim putting together tribute book. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Piper alpha platform, north sea offshore technology oil. What caused the giant piper alpha oil rig explosion. The piper alpha disaster on the morning 6 th july 1988, as part of a maintenance program, a gas pump pressure safety valve was removed from the processing area and, as the work could not be completed that day, a blanking plat was fitted over the end of.

The 6 th july 1988 was a normal day for 226 crew members onboard the piper alpha, an oil production platform in the north sea, located 120 miles northeast of aberdeen, scotland at about 22. Piper alpha was the largest platform by production in the world in its era 317,000 barrelsday, peak. Importance learning from major incident piper alpha disaster. It was connected by an oil pipeline to flotta and by gas pipelines to two other installations. Oct 18, 2011 when he details the unfortunate history of fires, explosions, even collapses, of rigs, the piper alpha disaster is put into context, making rig work one of the most hazardous jobs on the planet. Jun 01, 2019 the piper alpha disaster in the north sea, uk, which killed 167 people in july 1988, is the deadliest offshore oil rig accident in history. Jul 07, 2018 documentary chronicling the tragic events that occurred in the north sea on board the piper alpha rig in july 1988, in what was the worlds deadliest offshore oil disaster. An explosion on the piper alpha platform occurred in july 1988.

In the end, matsens remarkable book is a stunning tribute to the survivors and their families. A lasting effect of the piper alpha disaster was the establishment of britains first postmargaret thatcher trade union, the offshore industry liaison. Download adobe acrobat or click here to download the pdf file. You are free to choose, but you are not free from the consequences of your choice, said steve rae, business consultant and survivor of the piper alpha disaster. Jul 04, 2008 piper alpha was the largest platform by production in the world in its era 317,000 barrelsday, peak. The fire was visible seventy miles away as a distant, flickering.

The accident killed 165 out of 226 crew members and two crew members from the standby vessel sandhaven. As shifts changed and the night crew aboard piper alpha assumed duties for the evening, one of the platforms two condensate pumps failed. It was built in the north sea by a consortium run by occidental and dr. July 6 marks the 30th anniversary of the piper alpha disaster in the north sea, which is in terms of loss of life, the worst disaster in the history of the offshore oil industry. In addition to time, the piper alpha incident had the benefit of the cullen report summarized here. It is believed that the leak came from pipe work connected to a condensate pump. The piper alpha disaster by author stephen mcginty. The controversy around it was heightened when a report. Jul 04, 20 e ven 25 years on, charles haffeys most powerful memory of the piper alpha disaster was the overwhelming, deafening noise. May 25, 2014 the piper alpha disaster on the morning 6 th july 1988, as part of a maintenance program, a gas pump pressure safety valve was removed from the processing area and, as the work could not be completed that day, a blanking plat was fitted over the end of pipe where the pump had been removed. The piper alpha disaster which killed 167 workers on 6 july 1988 off the coast of aberdeen is the worldsdeadliest ever oil rig accident. As a result he recommends that the safety regulations with.

The piper alpha incident in the uk north sea had a profound impact on the development of process safety culture and legislation around the world. Most of the physical evidence sank to the bottom of the north sea, so the testimony of survivors and witnesses had to be woven together into a coherent story. Piper alpha was an oil production platform in the north sea operated by occidental petroleum caledonia limited. This book is a true and tragic account of the piper alpha disaster in the north sea. The book was only published in 2008 the incident happened in 1988, so enough time has passed to be able to sort things out. Witnesses said they heard a sustained highpitched screeching. The wreck buoy marking the remains of the piper is approximately 120 metres from the southeast corner of the replacement piper bravo platform. Public lists that include survivors of the piper alpha oil platform disaster. Documentary chronicling the tragic events that occurred in the north sea on board the piper alpha rig in july 1988, in what was the worlds deadliest offshore oil disaster. Piper alpha atform from the,xlpha forll the all pi. It appears your web browser is not configured to display pdf files.

The aberdeen woman was only 21 with a sixmonthold son, rikki when her dad, stanley sangster, was among the 167 victims of the piper alpha disaster on july 6, 1988. A hero diver left traumatised by the piper alpha tragedy has been found drowned the body of gareth parrydavies, 59, was recovered from the river shannon in limerick, ireland, on june 10. Bollands had worked for eight years on piper alpha by the time of the disaster and recalls in his book the camaraderie, the good offshore food. On the contrary, when piper alpha, the giant platform operated by occidental petroleum, sprung to life in 1976, it was hailed as the latest chapter in a burgeoning success story. It began production in 1976, initially as an oilonly platform but later converted to add gas production. The first full account of the most tragic oil rig disaster in history. The author headed the public inquiry into this disaster. In the explosion and subsequent fire on the oil platform, 167. Before the disaster, maintenance and upgrading work had been under way but piper alpha had been continuing to produce oil. Discovered in 1973 and brought on stream in 1976, piper alpha was one of the biggest offshore oil platforms in the uk, producing more than 300,000 barrels of crude a day about 10% of the countrys total.

Piper alpha is an offshore oil and gas platform that suffered an explosion. The fire was visible from seventy miles away and the heat generated was so intense that a. Bibliography building process safety culture tool kit. Jul 06, 2017 the public inquiry into the piper alpha disaster. Piper alpha re ceived and sent to the shore the oil and gas production of a group of platforms. The piper alpha disaster reprints by mcginty, stephen isbn. Feel free to discuss or share thoughts and memories on this page. With the great crew change already taking place, this column reflects on the disaster to ensure that its lessons are not forgotten. The field was discovered in january 1973 and the same year construction of platform took place. E ven 25 years on, charles haffeys most powerful memory of the piper alpha disaster was the overwhelming, deafening noise. Piper alpha was a large north sea oil platform that started production in 1976. The public inquiry into the piper alpha disaster book, 1990. Jun 24, 2014 bbc nine oclock news piper alpha 7th july 1988 part one duration.