Health inspectors have found a hole in the deck of a North Sea rig – which appeared the same day a worker went missing and sparked a huge search off Aberdeen.
The body of 50-year-old Jason Thomas has not been found since the January 22 incident on the Valaris 121.
A trade union boss said inspectors’ findings “only served to confirm” initial fears that he fell through the opening on the rig.
We were told early on that it had appeared that Mr Thomas had gone through a gap in the gratings.”
Jake Molloy, RMT
The exact circumstances of the incident have not yet been confirmed by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
But, according to an improvement notice from inspectors, a section of grating on the Valaris 121 dislodged – putting employees at risk of “falling through the subsequent hole”.
HSE is continuing to investigate and no further details will be disclosed while its work is ongoing.
‘It would have been wrong to speculate’
Jake Molloy, of the RMT union, said: “We couldn’t say it publicly at the time, obviously, because we had to let the regulators investigate and it would have been wrong to speculate.
“But the HSE findings on gratings confirm our fears were fully verified. We were told early on that it had appeared that Mr Thomas had gone through a gap in the gratings.
“How that came to be there is still the subject of investigation and while again it would be unfair to speculate, there has been a suggestion the weather had a degree of influence on the situation.”
Chain of events
A pair of oil supply vessels, a Coastguard helicopter and an aeroplane were scrambled to search for Mr Thomas on January 22, but later stood down.
The Valaris 121 arrived in Dundee two days later, where it remains, with officers from Police Scotland subsequently boarding the rig to carry out inquiries.
They later confirmed the case was being treated as a missing persons inquiry.
There are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances surrounding Mr Thomas’ disappearance.
The investigation was then passed to the HSE, with the watchdog publishing an improvement notice, issued to Ensco, the old name for Valaris, earlier today.
It said: “On January 22 2023 a section of polymer grating, under your control on the Valaris 121… dislodged, thereby exposing employees and those who may otherwise be affected to a risk to their safety by tripping on the displaced grating and/or falling through the subsequent hole in the decking area.
“On further inspection on February 9 2023, it was evident that other polymer grating systems had been installed similar to the one that was dislodged.”
Responses from HSE and Valaris
An HSE spokesman said: “We are continuing to investigate the circumstances around Jason Thomas’ disappearance and are liaising with the relevant authorities.
“No further detail will be given during the investigation. We have been in contact with Jason’s family, with whom our thoughts remain.”
In a statement, Valaris said: “We have undertaken a thorough review of all such polymer grating systems and their fasteners onboard Valaris 121 and other jack-up rigs in our fleet to address the improvement notice.”
Next steps unclear
The incident has sparked concerns over watchdog oversight, with RMT flagging fears the case could fall into a “vacuum of regulatory cover”.
Mr Molloy said it was unclear what will happen next, given Valaris 121 is registered in Liberia.
He added: “HSE’s ability to regulate when the rig becomes a vessel is still an unanswered question, as is its ability to take action in terms of the actual event.
“The MCA (Maritime and Coastguard Agency) were clear they felt it was an issue for Liberia, and I very much doubt they will pursue a prosecution against Valaris for perceived or verified failings. Whether the UK regulators can do anything is unclear.”
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