MINUTES EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS OFFSHORE LIAISON (EPOL) GROUP DATE: Wednesday 4 June 2014 LOCATION: Shell, Woodbank, North Deeside Road, Aberdeen. CHAIR/MINUTES: Fay Tough and Len Braun MEMBERS PRESENT: Alison Jansch (Apache) Ian Baxter (Shell) Mike Reid (Shell) Dennis Sutherland (Stena) Peter Reilly (Petrofac) Helen Stuart (TAQA) Fiona Hastie (MCA) John McAllister (TAQA) Graham Brown (Centrica) Kimberley John (Oil & Gas UK) Sharon Wilson (Technip) Chaz Simpson (Transocean) Lesley Sim (CHC) Wendi Sangster (Enquest) Andrew Park (Total) Ruth Evans (Marathon) Glenn Pinsent (Bristow) Chris Bond (Bristow) Peter Campbell (BP) Mike Houston (Premier Oil) Stuart Walker (Wood Group) Line Kaldestat (Stat Oil) Alan Forsyth (Subsea 7) Chris Doran (AMEC) Ed Miller (Enquest) Pete Lapham (ARCC) Ross Fraser (CNRI) Colin Walker (Police Scotland) Kamonrat Bairaj-Vinichai (Chevron) 1. WELCOME AND DOMESTIC ISSUES 1.1. Mike Reid (Shell) welcomed everyone to Woodbank and outlined the domestic issues. 2. OPENING OF MEETING AND INTRODUCTIONS 2.1. The Chair formally opened the meeting. 1
3. APOLOGIES 3.1. Apologies were received from the following:- Sharon Wilson (Technip) Emma Wedderburn (AMEC) Andrew Shepperson (Nexen) Lorraine Hodgson (CHC) Paul Kelsall (Bond) Gordon Bradley (Petrofac) Susan Klein (RGU) Michelle Aitken (Total) Charles Kemp (Bluewater) Ross Zaccarini (BP) Rob Cumming (Technip) Boyd Angus (Hess) Sharon McHardy (CNR) Graeme MacLeod (Diamond Offshore Drilling) Jenny Ross (Bond) Michelle Chrystal (Chevron) Darren Beaumont (Bond) Michelle Simpson (WGPSN) Brian Tadeo (Apache) Vic Retallic (Premier Oil) Murdo McLean (AMEC) Rev Gordon Craig (UK Oil & Gas Chaplaincy) Alix Thom (Oil & Gas UK) Kenneth Lang (AMEC) Paul Baker (Maersk Oil) 4. MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING 4.1. The minutes of the previous meeting, held on 12 March 2014 were approved. 5. SUBGROUP UPDATES 5.1. HR SUB GROUP Helen Stewart provided an update of the meeting of the Sub Group on 19 May 2014 and identified a number of tasks to be progressed by the Sub Group in relation to o Mutual Aid and Relative Responders, o Exercise Glass and o Family Liaison training. In the absence of Andrew Davis, Fay Tough updated the Group regarding Task 1 in the Minutes of the meeting of 12 March 2014 (JBS kit bags). Fiona Hastie highlighted standby vessels also hold kit bags by local agreement. It was agreed to circulate Andrew's presentation notes to EPOL members to consider for the next meeting on 24 September 2014. Following the meeting Andrew provided an updated presentation and summary. The updated version has been circulated as an appendix to these draft minutes. Glenn Pinsent highlighted the services of the Family Assistance Foundation. He also spoke of the guidance document published by the United Kingdom Airlines Emergency Planning Group in relation to plans for a reception centre. 5.2. MEDIA SUB GROUP 2
Fay Tough spoke about the current status of the Vuelio project. It was established that Laura Ackland, Oil and Gas UK will take on the role vacated by Charlie Mayo. Len Braun will arrange an early meeting for the Sub Group to move towards the trial phase of the software and confirm the funding is in place to cover the initial setup costs. 5.3. EPOL WEBSITE Peter Reilly provided the following update. The website had been fully reviewed in the past nine months and the new website is up and running. The information and documents on the website is current. Petrofac have provided the Police Energy Industry Liaison Unit with a laptop computer to overcome the issues with the Police firewall when accessing and updating the EPOL website. Fay Tough intimated that Len Braun was soon to be trained to allow him to update the website. 6. REVIEW OF ACTIONS Refer to the Action Plan for actions in progress. There is a document to capture Completed Actions. The Action Plan will be circulated with the minutes. 7. EPOL CONFERENCE Fay Tough asked members their thoughts about holding an EPOL Conference in November. She advised that Oil and Gas UK had offered to assist in planning the event, and that income generated would go to the Oil and Gas chaplaincy. The purpose of the conference was to showcase the work of EPOL and allow wider industry members to be aware of the work streams. Volunteers were sought to be part of the conference planning group. Glenn Pinsent, Dennis Sutherland, Pete Lapam, Fiona Hastie and Helen Stuart all agreed to assist. 8. MCA UPDATE Fiona Hastie provided an overview of the ongoing MCA reconfiguration programme and the timetable for implementation. She also provided an overview of the implementation of Search and Rescue Helicopters in the near future. Peter Lapham, Squadron Leader, Officer commanding UK ARCC, Kinloss was introduced to the Group and gave an overview of the role of the ARCC. 9. OIL AND GAS UK Kimberley John updated the group about the CAA Review of Helicopter Safety published earlier this year and identified the following implications. 3
The CAA had intimated that from 1June 2014, unless an individual was wearing a Category 'A' emergency breathing system (EBS) everyone must sit next to an exit. As the industry does not have Cat A EBS at the moment, this stipulation would reduce helicopter capacity just as the industry was in turn around season (annual shut-down for maintenance, much of it safety critical) when numbers offshore are at their peak. Several companies developed safety cases which were presented to the CAA explaining the potential impact on safety critical work, and the CAA agreed to move the start date to 1September 2014. The industry has brought forward the date of full implementation from April 2016 to 1 September 2014. The offshore workforce will have to be trained to use the new EBS before they can use them. The training will be dry initially but eventually integrated into the BOSIET. The second major implication relates to size and shape of personnel. With effect from 1April 2015, people who are unable to fit through a push out window emergency exit (helicopter window) will not be allowed to fly offshore (Action 9 in the report). At the moment, the CAA has not decreed what size of window so we don t know whether everyone will have to be able to fit to the smallest window in the helicopter fleet (which is 17 x14 inches) or will be able to fly on certain models of helicopter with windows large enough for them to get through. The potential implications are cause for concern, both with companies and the workforce who are worried about losing their jobs. The report also made a number of observations and recommendations regarding BOSIET training. There will in all probability be changes made to the training but until a number of things are finalised (particularly regarding size and shape and window size) the full extent of changes required cannot be identified or implemented. 10. POLICE SCOTLAND UPDATE Fay Tough introduced Len Braun to the Group. She intimated that John McAllister's secondment to the Energy Industry Liaison Unit was coming to an end and confirmed a replacement for John was being pursued. Fay also spoke of the number of Energy Industry exercises in which Police Scotland participated since the last meeting and the number of Police Liaison Officers deployed as part of these exercises. 11. DRUGS PRESENTATION Chief Inspector Colin Walker, Police Scotland delivered a presentation on the misuse of drugs. A display of placebo drugs and drugs paraphernalia was available for members to view. Following the presentation, a general discussion took place about concerns relating to substance misuse in the oil and gas industry and the benefit of developing EPOL guidance on this subject. Len Braun undertook to consider the formation of a shortterm working group to explore areas of good practice. 4
12. EXERCISE INFORMATION SHARING/ OPEN SPACE Peter Reilly raised the issue of 'declaration of death' in relation to sudden deaths offshore. In such circumstances the declaration of death confirms the opinion of the Offshore Medic and Person in Charge that no vital signs of life are present and the person is apparently dead. Clarity was sought in comparison with the ability of Paramedics onshore who are qualified to make a declaration of death without the need of further confirmation by a doctor. The question was posed as to whether or not Offshore Medics could be trained to the same standard as Paramedics thus negating the need for a doctor to make a formal declaration of death when the body is brought on shore. In the case of incidents offshore where injured or ill persons are flown ashore by SAR helicopter and subsequently die en-route to hospital, the declaration of death is made by doctor. On every occasion where deaths occur offshore, Police Officers travel offshore to investigate the circumstances and the formal declaration of death is made by a doctor when the Police return onshore with the deceased. 13. DATE AND PLACE OF NEXT MEETING 24 September 2014 at Petrofac, Bridge View, North Esplanade West, Aberdeen. 0900 for 0930 hours. TASKS ARISING 1. Confirm initial funding is in place for the Vuelio licence - Len Braun - Completed. 2. Arrange meeting to establish short-life Substance Misuse Sub Group - Len Braun - Completed. 3. Arrange meeting for Sub Group to progress EPOL Conference - Len Braun - Completed. 4. Re-circulate the Aviem International Inc. Family Assistance Training Syllabus to members for information highlighted by Glenn Pinsent during the HR Sub Group update in relation to Family Liaison Training - Len Braun - Completed. 5