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BBC NEWS: Inquiry hears deaths 'avoidable'

Jan 23rd, 2006
by admin.

The deaths of two oil workers on board a North Sea platform were “entirely avoidable”, an inquiry has heard.
A fatal accident inquiry (FAI) was told that a series of failures by oil giant Shell had led to Keith Moncrieff and Sean McCue losing their lives.
The pair were overcome by a massive gas escape while inspecting a repair on the company's Brent Bravo platform in 2003.
The FAI, which began at Aberdeen Sheriff Court last October, was ordered by Lord Advocate Colin Boyd.
Mr Moncrieff, 45, of Invergowrie, near Dundee, and 22-year-old Mr McCue, of Kennoway in Fife, died on a utility leg of the platform on 11 September.
The oil firm Shell was fined £900,000 following their deaths.
'Flawed thinking'
During closing submissions on Monday, Ernest Barbour, procurator fiscal, said: “The deaths on the Brent Bravo of Sean McCue and Keith Moncrieff could and should have been avoided.
“The tragic events that occurred were entirely avoidable.”
He added that this was due to Shell's failures to follow certain procedures and “fundamentally flawed thinking” in the system being used.
The inquiry had earlier heard that a temporary patch had been placed on the leaking pipe nearly a year before the incident on the platform.
When Mr Moncrieff and Mr McCue went to inspect it, a broken valve led to the release of up to 2.5 tonnes of gas.
“This whole tragedy may have been avoided if the patch had been replaced earlier,” said Mr Barbour.
Mr Barbour said when Mr Moncrieff and Mr McCue went to inspect the patch, the platform had been started up, despite there being knowledge that a number of valves were not operating properly.
Sheriff Colin Harris also heard that since the Brent Bravo deaths there had been changes and improvements in Shell's operating procedures.
This included clear and thorough risk assessments being carried out before beginning work on a hydrocarbon or safety critical line and discouraging any delay in maintenance work.

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