Offshore Oil and Gas Operation Faces Safety Problem in Surprise Inspections

Last week, the Interior Department began investigating in the Gulf of Mexico the safety of giant cranes used in offshore oil and gas operations, which in the past have posed serious safety issues and concerns.

This series of surprise inspection comprised of over 50 inspectors, who dropped down at approximately 40 offshore platforms and drilling rigs from helicopters last week. According to Jason Mathews, who is the head of offshore safety management for the Gulf of Mexico at the department’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, even though the results are still being compiled and analyzed, the inspectors have already detected serious safety problems that could not be overlooked.

A few crane and lifting incidents occurred last year that have been leading up to this surprise inspection regarding their safety. Even though no one was killed or severely injured in these past incidents, they still pose a significant threat to the safety and security of workers at these platforms as lifting-related accidents are the second largest cause of death at offshore facilities, following fires and explosions as the number one cause.

Because of these incidents, there have been increasing attention and spotlight on regulations on offshore oil and gas operators. Earlier this year, President Trump has ordered the Interior Department to look into regulations enforced under the Obama Administration and re-evaluate their effectiveness. After the Deepwater Horizon accident in 2010, leading to 11 deaths of offshore workers and the largest marine oil spill in history, there have been increased amount of regulations on offshore operations, which are considered excessive by many workers and operating businesses.

Despite the discontent of operators over regulations, they prove to be necessary considering the frequency of past incidents. In November of last year, the 110-foot arm of a crane fell onto the platform just after lifting four workers from a supply ship to a drilling rig 50 miles offshore. Another incident in mid-December involved a bundle of tubing falling from a crane arm. They weighed over hundreds of pounds and barely missed workers working on the ship below. The internal agency incident report has repeated similar incidents that involve the slipping of the crane arm that led to injury or even deaths of offshore workers.

In 2015, there was a new proposal for new standards of offshore crane safety. However, despite the continued tightening of rules and inspections regarding crane and offshore oil operations, there has been a general de-regulation trend in the Trump Administration.

The safety problem of offshore operations has not been eased despite the regulation efforts. The rate of lift-related offshore accidents, in fact, increased by almost 5 percent last year, a figure that is the second highest in the past decade. The statistics are heartbreaking, as according to the data released by the agency to the Times, on average, for every 13.5 offshore platforms or drilling rigs, there was one incident.

Companies that have been heavily involved in these incidents include Arena Offshore, Energy XXI and Fieldwood Energy. They have all been facing increasing scrutiny regarding their security. Meanwhile, despite their frequent incidents, they continue to vouch to the Interior Department to loosen regulations on offshore platforms, which draws into question their responsibility over the safety of their workers and employees.

Last week’s surprise inspections will result in fines for the offshore operators who demonstrated safety problems. There has been a new program launched by the agency that are more risk-based in the past year, monitoring more closely the safety of offshore workers. On the other hand, Fieldwood Energy, which has been at the center of controversy regarding these incidents, commented that it is always “evaluating and enhancing our safety program and culture to ensure the safety of our employees and the environment.”

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