Over the course of the last week, the UK has been wrapped in a blanket of snow and ice. Cars have been stranded on major roads, minor roads have been completely impassable and even drinkers in a Yorkshire pub have been trapped for days (although that doesn’t really smack of bad luck to me). And now it is being reported that in so many of these cases such difficulties could have been averted.
Much of the strife (particularly in rural communities) is due to a lack of salt and grit – an issue that was predicted and warned against in a report that was published in the summer months! So why was nothing done about it? The thing is when its 30° outside it is difficult to imagine the cold setting in such a big way. It is easy to let that feeling that nothing will go wrong creep in.
It’s not just the local authorities who can fall foul of this concept. Everyone in every industry needs to keep these ideas in check. Yet in an industry as inherently dangerous as the offshore oil and gas sector it is even more important. There is no denying that over the last few years (particularly in the wake of the Texas City disaster) some huge improvements have been made. Yet when surrounded by the glow of recent improvement and success it is important not to let complacency creep in.
There is a balance to be struck between hailing the current victories and being vigilant for the future threats to the safety of the offshore workers.
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