Thirty four years ago the world lost Piper Alpha. Piper Alpha pride of Britain's North Sea Oil was the first oil rig lost to fire.

Of the 226 men on board only 61 would survive the night of July 6 1988. Today's guest is one of the 61.

Piper Alpha was originally designed for oil production but was also connected to three other rigs and modified for gas production.

At the time of loss Piper Alpha was producing 10% of the total North Sea production.

It is estimated that the cost of losing the oil rig was 1.7 billion pounds

The Cullen Inquiry into the incident was damming making 106 recommendations although no criminal charges were ever laid.

Joe Meanen was a scaffolder on Piper Alpha on that fateful night.

He tells his story. The initial explosion, the chaos that ensured and his escape with his life.

Not to be missed.

Joe also gives his prognosis on the causes of the incident and reflects on his life since the disaster which took so many lives.

Thanks for listening. We have some great guests coming up in future pods so get ready to learn. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your week, and stay safe. https://plus.acast.com/s/health-and-safety-conversations.

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