EMERGENCY EVACUATIONS THROUGH THEMOTIONS?
Recent tragic events in Valencia, where 10 people lost their lives in a high-rise inferno, appear to have similarities with the 2017 Grenfell disaster. Both take me back to 6 July 1988 – a date that radically changed how the offshore oil and gas world viewed its approach to emergency preparedness.
That night, 226 workers fought for their lives as the Piper Alpha production platform was consumed by a raging inferno. I was one of the 61 who survived by following gut instinct rather than the presence of an emergency preparedness and evacuation procedure.
I witnessed first-hand the complete breakdown and failure of the platform, its neighbouring installations, and the emergency preparedness and evacuation plans. These resulted in tragic circumstances that will remain with me for the rest of my life. Despite these incomprehensible events, I decided to stay in the industry where, 15 years later, I became an on-scene commander, leading the onshore emergency response for my employer.
EXPERIENCE Prior to taking up the role I was trained, passed the test and presented with a certificate. Sometime later my employer carried out a full emergency response drill, effectively stress testing the organisation’s preparedness and my ability to fulfil the commander’s role. Whilst it was not perfect, I did remain relatively calm throughout, but I realised that, despite the training and certificate, I was not fully competent. Others on the emergency response team felt the same, indeed I requested some be relieved of their duties as it was obvious that they were not sufficiently suited to or trained for the role. This was a wake-up call which asked questions of our organisation’s processes and preparedness despite having a documented plan and assigned resources with all the necessary training.
We had assumed that training and initial assessment would be enough to make us competent – and it was a huge oversight.
THE REALITY OF THE CURRENT SITUATION Today, I am involved in offshore visits which typically involve a full safety induction including emergency preparedness plans and procedures. This confirms that the plans are well documented, shared on arrival and relevant resources assigned. For the core crew who live and work on the installation, practice drills are scheduled but, in most cases, these fit around work activities and involve a muster exercise ‘head count’. This smacks of a tick-box exercise to satisfy the drill plan rather than testing the system under stress.
16
Steve Rae, Director of Fortitude – Action Beyond Compliance, shares his first-hand account of witnessing the failure of the emergency response system on the Piper Alpha and reveals how his recent offshore visits illustrate a pervading lack of preparedness for when disaster strikes.
While I have no doubt that these systems are well defined, their testing reminds me of the situation that existed on Piper Alpha where drills fitted around operational requirements. Again, it was a case of going through the motions to satisfy the presence of emergency preparedness.
I doubt this practice of ‘going through the motions’ is unique to the offshore sector, equally applying to onshore construction sites, high-rise buildings, public events and establishments where emergency preparedness is required to operate.
If you’ve stayed with me through this article, ask yourself: when did my site last stress test emergency evacuation procedures? How effective was the drill? Did I respond as expected? Did my training meet the needs of the stress test? If you’re left in any doubt about your own, or your site’s, preparedness then be courageous enough to ask those managing the system to consider your feedback and ask for the plans to be reviewed now rather than when tested in a real-life situation.
“WITHOUT TRAINING, AN ORGANISATION AND ITS STAFF WILL QUICKLY BECOME OVERWHELMED BY AN EMERGENCY, UNABLE TO HANDLE
ITS IMPACTS AND RECOVER.” Extract from UK Government emergency planning and preparedness guidance.
In conclusion, this quote from the well-respected Steve Cyros would sit well as the header of every emergency preparedness and evacuation procedure: “Remember: When disaster strikes, the time to prepare has passed.”
www.tomorrowshs.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56
