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Written Question
Offshore Industry: Employment
Monday 12th December 2022

Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many concerns relating to offshore employment (a) met the criteria for follow-up and (b) were investigated in the first six months of 2022.

Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

In the first six months of 2022:

  • 1 offshore renewable incident met the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) Incident Selection Criteria, and a subsequent investigation was completed.

  • There were 5 reportable dangerous occurrences related to the offshore renewables industry.

  • No planned inspections were completed on offshore renewable energy installations. This is because HSE’s focus was on responding to operational concerns.

  • 9 concerns relating to offshore employment were reported to HSE. Of these, 6 investigations have been completed and 1 investigation is currently underway.

Written Question
Wind Power: Health and Safety
Monday 12th December 2022

Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the report by MMI Engineering Ltd for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) entitled Study and development of a methodology for the estimation of the risk and harm to persons from wind turbines, RR968, published in 2013, is the most recent HSE study on the methodology for the estimation of the risk and harm to people from wind turbines.

Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) research report ‘RR968’ remains one of a range of studies, guidance and industry data used to assist in the evaluation of risk to people from wind turbines and operations.

Further, HSE continues to support industry in the development of industry specific guidance for this rapidly developing sector.


Written Question
Renewable Energy: Health and Safety
Monday 12th December 2022

Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of offshore renewable incidents (a) met the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) Incident Selection Criteria and (b) were investigated by HSE in the first six months of 2022.

Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

In the first six months of 2022:

  • 1 offshore renewable incident met the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) Incident Selection Criteria, and a subsequent investigation was completed.

  • There were 5 reportable dangerous occurrences related to the offshore renewables industry.

  • No planned inspections were completed on offshore renewable energy installations. This is because HSE’s focus was on responding to operational concerns.

  • 9 concerns relating to offshore employment were reported to HSE. Of these, 6 investigations have been completed and 1 investigation is currently underway.

Written Question
Renewable Energy: Health and Safety
Monday 12th December 2022

Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many dangerous occurrences relating to the offshore renewables industry were reported to the Health and Safety Executive between January and June 2022.

Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

In the first six months of 2022:

  • 1 offshore renewable incident met the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) Incident Selection Criteria, and a subsequent investigation was completed.

  • There were 5 reportable dangerous occurrences related to the offshore renewables industry.

  • No planned inspections were completed on offshore renewable energy installations. This is because HSE’s focus was on responding to operational concerns.

  • 9 concerns relating to offshore employment were reported to HSE. Of these, 6 investigations have been completed and 1 investigation is currently underway.

Written Question
Renewable Energy: Health and Safety
Monday 12th December 2022

Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many offshore renewable incidents met the Health and Safety Executive's Incident Selection Criteria in the first six months of 2022.

Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

In the first six months of 2022:

  • 1 offshore renewable incident met the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) Incident Selection Criteria, and a subsequent investigation was completed.

  • There were 5 reportable dangerous occurrences related to the offshore renewables industry.

  • No planned inspections were completed on offshore renewable energy installations. This is because HSE’s focus was on responding to operational concerns.

  • 9 concerns relating to offshore employment were reported to HSE. Of these, 6 investigations have been completed and 1 investigation is currently underway.

Written Question
Renewable Energy: Health and Safety
Monday 12th December 2022

Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many planned inspections of offshore renewable energy installations were made in the first six months of 2022.

Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

In the first six months of 2022:

  • 1 offshore renewable incident met the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) Incident Selection Criteria, and a subsequent investigation was completed.

  • There were 5 reportable dangerous occurrences related to the offshore renewables industry.

  • No planned inspections were completed on offshore renewable energy installations. This is because HSE’s focus was on responding to operational concerns.

  • 9 concerns relating to offshore employment were reported to HSE. Of these, 6 investigations have been completed and 1 investigation is currently underway.

Written Question
Offshore Industry: Employment
Monday 12th December 2022

Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether offshore employees raised concerns relating to offshore employment to (a) HSE and (b) her Department in the first six months of 2022.

Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Health and Safety Executive received a total of 11 concerns from employees at offshore sites in the first six months of 2022.


Written Question
Offshore Industry: Air Pollution
Monday 12th December 2022

Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many hydrocarbon releases were reported to HSE in the first six months of 2022.

Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

34 hydrocarbon releases were reported to the Health and Safety Executive in the first six months of 2022.


Written Question
Renewable Energy: Health and Safety
Monday 12th December 2022

Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of the regulatory framework for renewable energy generation for (a) onshore and (b) offshore health & safety regimes.

Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has established a Net Zero Hub dedicated to reviewing the measures in place for effective regulation of Net Zero technologies. The Hub comprises Senior Managers, Policy Advisors, Operational Staff and Scientists and is underpinned by full governance arrangements including authorisation at HSE Board level.

As part of this, the suitability of existing legislation for both on and offshore wind industries will be considered.


Written Question
Health and Safety Executive: Staff
Wednesday 7th December 2022

Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the current agreed capacity of the Wind and Marine Energy Team is within HSE’s Energy division; and how many of these roles are filled as of November 2022.

Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

To date, the Wind and Marine Energy Team (WMET) at the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) consists of an Operations Manager, a Team Leader and three HM Inspectors. This was the position in 2018. However, WMET is also supported by five Visiting Officers and Specialist HM Inspectors from across HSE.

HSE has recently recruited an additional HM Inspector into the WMET, who will be in post from next month, along with a new trainee HM Inspector, who will complete their training over the next two years.

HSE keeps the capacity of WMET under regular review to ensure it continues to meet the regulatory requirements of the sector.