Piper Alpha was a large oil production platform in the North Sea about 170 kilometers northeast of Aberdeen. In 1976 the platform began producing oil then was later converted to add gas production to its capabilities.
On July 6, 1988 an initial explosion and following fire, caused by outflowing gas and an ignition source, destroyed the Piper Alpha platform. With 167 fatalities, it was the worst disaster on an oil rig in terms of lives lost and industry impact. Only 61 workers survived.
The accident was preceded by poorly-made decisions and preventable chain of faults. The final report concluded that the initial condensate leak was the result of a lack of communication while maintenance work was being carried out simultaneously on a pump and related safety valve.
The report also made 106 recommendations for changes to North Sea safety procedures. The oil industry, still shocked by the disaster, accepted all proposals. Amongst other things, the report recommend changes to the communication of platform personnel and emergency services, the design of platforms and the procedures for operating equipment. Nowadays, technological developments that provide increased safety, more straight forward work processes, realistic simulations and training are ensuring employees are highly trained and suitably equipped, helping to avoid such horrible accidents.
The Piper Alpha was still burning three weeks before specialists from Red Adair, an American company for combating large fires, could extinguish it. It forever changed the way offshore platforms operate and made safety the ultimate premise of every operation.