Former Forties crane operator wins ‘Above And Beyond’ offshore achievement award

A former Sparrows Group crane operator has won the Above and Beyond Award at the 2018 Offshore Achievement Awards.

John Fraser, now the company’s HSEQ and HR director, was presented with the accolade at the awards ceremony in Aberdeen by TV presenter Rachel Riley

Fraser initially joined Sparrows Group as a crane operator on the Forties field in 1977 and became the driving force behind the development of key industry processes for the safety and integrity of crane operations which have not only benefitted Sparrows own employees and operations, but also the wider industry.

He led the way in developing the Sparrows Offshore Crane Operator Training and Competence Standard in 1990. This globally recognised programme has been widely adopted as the industry standard and almost 30 years later, remains the sector benchmark for crane operators at all stages of their career across the world.

Many employers stipulate holding the Sparrows certification as a requirement and the Aberdeen headquartered company can account for having trained around 80% of crane operators in the North Sea today.

In 1993, Fraser was also responsible for the introduction of Standing Instruction SI-01 – Offshore Crane Operations, creating a comprehensive guide for offshore crane operators. SI-01 is currently on its 10th edition and John continues to make the publication available to industry. It forms the basis of many operators’ offshore crane procedures and is recognised as the ‘go-to handbook’ when ensuring the safety of people and assets during crane lifting operations.

In his current role, John is responsible for maintaining Sparrows HSEQ standards and accreditations while driving the application of consistently high standards of safety and quality globally.

He said: “When it comes to safety there is no compromise on protecting our clients, personnel and the environments in which they operate. I am honoured to have been presented with the Above and Beyond award and would like to thank Sparrows for their continued support in driving safe and efficient practices across all operations.”

26 Mar 2018