The latest report published by the Joint Research Centre highlights the lack of harmonised reporting on oil and gas offshore accidents across the EU, and the poor access of information for researchers, consultants and the public. The statistical analysis also reveals that offshore accidents with severe and long-lasting consequences are not extremely rare events as initially thought, at least concerning failures, causes and chain of events.

The report entitled “Safety of offshore oil and gas operations: Lessons from past accident analysis” published by the Joint Research Centre reveals the lack of harmonised reporting on accidents across the EU, and the poor access of information for researchers, consultants and the public. The report reviews current sources of information on accidents and their availability to operators, authorities and the public. A political agreement between the European Parliament and the Council on offshore legislation, following a Commission proposal, was reached on 21 February 2013.

In addition, statistical information on the frequency and severity of accidents is included. This statistical analysis reveals that offshore accidents with severe and long-lasting consequences are not extremely rare events as initially thought, at least concerning failures, causes and chain of events. It is the magnitude of the consequences that made some of them truly catastrophic.

The report also analyses some landmark accidents and examines the lessons learned for the industry and the regulatory authorities, linking them to the phases of the risk management chain: prevention, mitigation, emergency preparedness, response and recovery.