Robert Gordon University (RGU) Law students recently explored the regulatory regime for offshore health and safety with oil and gas safety expert Jake Molloy.
Jake Molloy, Regional Organiser for the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers National Union, delivered a talk on offshore safety to the LLM/MSc Oil and Gas Law class at The Law School at RGU’s Aberdeen Business School. He was invited by Dr Leon Moller, oil and gas law lecturer in the Law School.
During his presentation, Mr Molloy dealt extensively with the evolution of the regulatory regime for offshore health and safety, including the participatory role of the trade unions in changing the previous prescriptive regulations to the current highly successful goal setting regulations that are prevalent in the UK’s offshore industry.
Mr Molly highlighted a number of offshore incidents including the Piper Alpha disaster of 1988 and the famous Cullen Report which introduced the current goal-setting regulatory framework for offshore safety in the North Sea.
The presentation also included a discussion of the current regulatory structure including the respective roles of the offshore regulator Health and Safety Executive’s Energy Division and the Offshore Safety Directive Regulator (OSDR), which was set up as the UK’s competent Authority to ensure compliance with the EU Directive on the safety of offshore oil and gas operations.
The students and staff enjoyed the talk which was well supported with ample reference to Mr Molloy’s own working experience in the oil and gas sector of over 25 years.
Mr Molloy participates in several industry health and safety forums including the Step Change Leadership Team, the Offshore Industry Advisory Committee, and the Helicopter Safety Steering Group and was recently with the Oil Spill Prevention and Response Advisory Group (OSPRAG). He is also the editor of the union magazine ‘Blowout’.
Pictured are Dr Leon Moller with Jake Molloy, Regional Organiser for the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers National Union
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