
Work accidents and injuries have serious consequences for victims, for the environment and for society. The societal pressure to prevent accidents and improve safety in the oil and gas industry is strong, and the industry has correspondingly had a strong tradition of safety in the workplace. Major disasters, such as Chernobyl in 1986 and Piper Alpha in 1988, gave reason to focus attention on management systems, procedures, organisational factors and safety culture (Hale & Hovden, 1998). Improvements in safety and accident prevention can be performed on micro levels (individual attitudes and behaviour towards safety practices), meso levels (the structure, culture and practice of local organisations) and macro levels (national and international legislation related to minimising hazards, design improvement and employee protection).
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