Double triumph for Stork Technical Services at The UK Oil and Gas Industry Safety Awards

Stork Technical Services, the leading global provider of knowledge-based asset integrity management services for the oil and gas, chemical and power sectors, won two awards at this year’s UK Oil and Gas Industry Safety Awards.

Marc Brankin, Scaffold Chargehand for Stork won ‘The Most Promising Individual’ category for his exemplary attitude and behaviour towards offshore safety. Stork and bSolutions @ Banff and Buchan College jointly won the ‘Innovation in Safety’ award for establishing an industry-first Temporary Refuge (TR) Testing City & Guilds Qualification. Stork was presented with the prestigious accolades on Wednesday 24th April at the UK Oil and Gas Industry Safety Awards annual ceremony held at Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre in the UK.
Erik-Jan Bijvank, SVP – UK & Africa for Stork Technical Services, said: “Winning both awards is an excellent achievement for Stork. I would like to personally thank Marc for being such an inspiring representative of Stork’s safety culture and commend our innovative HVACR team for their hard work and determination. This is another great accolade for our teams and services and we are delighted that the energy industry has recognised our continual commitment to safety.”

The ‘Most Promising Individual’ award recognises an up-and-coming person with potential, who has shown great enthusiasm for offshore safety, actively embracing safety culture. Marc Brankin was acknowledged and nominated by the Brent Delta Decommissioning team (Shell UK Limited/Wood Group PSN/Archer/ESS/Stork Technical Services) for his commendable safety leadership shown both by his example and his willingness to provide advice and guidance

In May 2012, a pilot behavioural safety programme was launched called ‘MindSafety’ in order to encourage a positive safety culture on the project. Marc was one of the first installation personnel to volunteer for the role of MindSafety Coach and as such has adopted the role with enthusiasm and has led by example.

The ’Innovation in Safety’ award recognises an innovative company which has put in place a unique process or technique to improve safety. Stork and bSolutions of Banff & Buchan College were jointly awarded for their industry-first Temporary Refuge (TR) Testing City & Guilds Qualification. While there is industry recognised training for Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) testing; TR integrity testing had no formal certification and competency measure. Stork provided expert technical input and worked with bSolutions @ Banff & Buchan College and Callum MacDonald, lecturer in Mechanical Engineering to develop the innovative course which is now ready for implementation. To demonstrate course competence, the training has been fully inspected and approved by the internationally recognised City & Guilds who have ensured that all Health and Safety Executive recommendations are met.

Iain Cocker, Commercial Development Manager for bSolutions @ Banff & Buchan College, said: “We are delighted with this accolade. It is a testament to how a partnership between education and industry can be mutually beneficial. We look forward forward to building on the success of this course in the future and I would like to express my thanks to all involved in the development of TR Integrity Testing.”

Stork was also recognised for its participation in the Brent Delta Decommissioning team. Comprised of Shell UK Limited, Wood Group PSN, Archer, ESS and Stork Technical Services personnel, the team won the ‘Workforce Engagement’ accolade for their engagement with personnel on safety matters, showing how a commitment to employee involvement in safety has contributed to an improvement in safety performance.