The accident occurred on 31 January 2005 at 06:34, when an employee of Dalseide & Fløysand Group AS was caught in a hydraulically operated, watertight sliding door of a watertight hull bulkhead of the Kristin platform, which was moored at Aker Stord. The man died at Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen that evening at approximately 18:30 from the injuries sustained in the accident.

The committee appointed to investigate the fatal accident concluded that the accident was caused by two factors: an unexpected closure of the sliding door, due to a broken spring in the mechanism that opens and closes the door, and a failure to ensure an adequate passageway before entering, a failure which had become established site practice.

"Such accidents are not supposed to occur. In addition to the corrective measures implemented immediately after the incident, Statoil and Aker Kvaerner will make sure that the lessons learned will be communicated to other installations and projects," says Nina Udnes Tronstad, Statoil's Vice President for the Kristin field development.

Employee safety efforts are top priority for the companies involved in the Kristin project. All recommendations presented in the investigation committee's report are carefully reviewed by the companies, each of which will ensure that all necessary measures are introduced at their facilities and worksites.

"Employee safety must come before anything else," says Tor Saltvold, Managing Director of Dalseide & Fløysand Group AS.

Several measures were implemented before hull work resumed: Guards were posted at all doors of this type. New signs with operating instructions were mounted by all doors. Doors were tested to ensure proper functioning, and the maintenance program for sliding doors was revised.

Watertight sliding doors are an absolute necessity onboard floating installations. The most important long-term measure to avoid similar accidents is specific training in the use and potential dangers of such watertight doors. A measure under consideration is providing a mechanical barrier that would prevent anyone from passing through such doorways before they fully open. Appropriate instructions would be posted as part of installing a barrier. Also under consideration is locking the doors in an open position when large offshore platforms such as Kristin are docked, when there is a great deal of activity on board and considerable foot traffic through the watertight bulkhead doorways.

The committee investigating the fatal accident comprised representatives from Aker Kvaerner, Statoil, and Dalseide & Fløysand Group AS. Along with determining exactly what occurred and why, the committee made recommendations for preventing similar accidents and for passing on the hard-learned lessons about doorway dangers and safety measures to other installations and projects.

"Safe operations are vital to our work. We must learn from this accident to prevent the occurance of similar ones," says Simen Lieungh, Aker Kvaerner Executive Vice President, Field Development Europe.

END

 

Alf Terje Myklebust, Communications Manager, Aker Kvaerner, mobile: +47 917 53 442

 

AKER KVÆRNER ASA, through its subsidiaries and affiliates ("Aker Kvaerner"), is a leading global provider of engineering and construction services, technology products and integrated solutions. The business within Aker Kvaerner span a number of industries, including Oil & Gas production, Refining & Chemicals, Mining & Metals, Pharmaceuticals & Biotechnology, Power Generation and Pulp & Paper. Aker Kvaerner has aggregated annual revenues of approximately USD 4.5 billion and employs around 22,000 people in more than 30 countries.

The Aker Kvaerner group consists of a number of separate legal entities. Aker Kvaerner is used as the common brand/trademark for most of these entities. The parent company in the group is Aker Kværner ASA.

 

Field Development Europe is a multidisciplinary and technology based organisation covering all technical and management functions for carrying out development of oil and gas fields world-wide, from wellheads to receiving terminal.

 

Aker Stord is Aker Kvaerner's assembly yard for modules and topsides for fixed and floating oil and gas production platforms. Aker Stord is within Aker Kvaerner responsible for multi discipline and mechanical construction contracts for onshore oil and gas plants in Norway. Within decommissioning of offshore structures Aker Stord has a special responsibility for methods and execution of topsides demolition.

This press release may include forward-looking information or statements and is subject to our disclaimer, see our web-pages www.akerkvaerner.com.