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Shell and Ampelmann Operations Fined £1.2 Million After Offshore Worker Has Feet Crushed. Injuries, Unsafe, Investigation.
A serious accident resulted in fines for Shell and Ampelmann operations, totaling over £1.2 million. This occurred after an offshore worker had his feet crushed while walking along a walkway over the North Sea.
The UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted both companies after the October 2017 accident off the coast of Norfolk. The worker, Martin Hill, from Norwich, then 63, was part of a team of maintenance workers being transferred in support of the Kroonborg vessel towards Shell’s offshore gas platform Galleon PG. The transfer took place in conditions of strong winds and choppy seas when it should not have, said HSE, highlighting the risks involved.
Ampelmann and the Access Walkway Controversy
Used to access offshore wind farms and platforms, motion compensation walkways or ‘walk to work’ have a combined mechanical and computerized system that allows them to continue providing a stable path for people transferring from the vessel to the platform or turbine. The distance between the vessel and platform changes with sea and vessel movement, so any walkway must be telescopic in and out to maintain a complete bridge.
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The Severity of the Accident
When the injury occurred, Hill was walking along the walkway of the support vessel toward the platform before sunrise. Although there was some artificial lighting, there was not enough lighting in the right places, concluded an investigation. Hill’s feet became trapped as the walkway approached. The severity of his injuries meant he had to be airlifted to the hospital.
Consequences and Responsibilities
HSE’s investigation found that users of the Ampelmann-designed and owned walkways were not sufficiently protected against the risks of entrapment and injury caused by tripping on the moving step. The agency stated that Ampelmann had not taken all reasonably practicable steps to reduce the risk of individuals’ feet becoming trapped on the sliding step. Judge Jeremy Johnson said that although some efforts had been made, ‘there were some basic mistakes that persisted for a long time.’ Judge Johnson said Shell’s instructions to the personnel conducting the transfers ‘were inconsistent and confusing and scattered across multiple documents. They were not understood by those operating’ the walkway transfer system. Additionally, Shell also failed to ensure that the lighting complied with long-standing SMS guidance. Judge Johnson said when assessing Shell’s culpability: ‘The problems had existed for a considerable time and were far from minor or isolated.’
Fines and Penalties
Shell U.K. Limited, based at York Road, Lambeth, London, pleaded guilty to violating Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £1,031,250 and ordered to pay £247,000 in costs at Chelmsford Crown Court on December 14, 2023.
Safety and Maintenance
SMS inspector John Hawkins said: ‘Offshore equipment, whether used in the course of hydrocarbon extraction, as in the gas platform in this case, or in harvesting renewable energy, such as in a wind turbine, requires maintenance, and maintenance requires reliable and safe access.’
Impact on Hill’s Injuries
Hill, a grandfather of eight, said he now struggles to go on walks and perform simple DIY tasks as a result of his injuries.
