An awareness of risk, constant vigilance and giving workers afraid of recrimination “real freedom to speak out” are necessary to prevent disasters such as that which killed 167 workers on the Piper Alpha, Lord Cullen said yesterday.
The senior Scottish judge, who chaired the public inquiry into the tragedy, used his keynote speech at a conference in Aberdeen to describe how failure by bosses to create the right environment can lead to fear of reporting safety risk by employees.
Using a number of examples of disasters – ranging from the Columbia space shuttle disaster in 2003 through to Piper Alpha – he said it was the role of bosses to ensure the workplace had the right culture to allow employees to speak out as well as the right physical environment to prevent further catastrophe.
“Employees can be distracted by getting mixed messages from management about safety,” said Lord Cullen.
He cited an investigator into the space shuttle accident, where the ship disintegrated on its return to Earth killing seven astronauts.
“If reliability and safety are preached as ‘organisational bumper stickers’ but leaders constantly emphasise keeping on schedule and saving money, workers will soon realise what is important and change accordingly,” said Lord Cullen.
He cited numerous examples where company management had failed to create an environment that allowed for human failure, including Piper Alpha.
He said it was up to managers “to see that the working environment is robust enough to allow for the fact that operatives are only human, with all the normal weaknesses, tendencies and limitations”.
“All operatives can be absent-minded, distracted, preoccupied, careless or poorly motivated. They can forget to take precautions, even when they have been fully trained and know the dangers.”
He added: “The working environment may lead, or lend itself, to human error. It is up to management to see that the working environment does not do so.”
He said the need for clear communication of the importance of safety overall was “particularly significant on offshore installations where safety depends on the interaction of people who may come from different disciplines or employers. That puts a premium on collaboration and effective communications.”
He concluded: “The barriers to prevent catastrophe include risk awareness, vigilance and real freedom to speak out.”
Lord Cullen addressed an audience at the Society of Petroleum Engineers’ Another Perspective on Risk event at Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre. The report by Lord Cullen, who also conducted disaster inquiries into the Dunblane massacre and the Ladbroke Grove rail crash, led to more than 100 changes to safety practice.