Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 2 February to Question 135414 on Offshore Industry: Missing People, what guidance his Department provides on whether (a) workers on Offshore Wind Installations and (b) ships and machinery servicing them are covered by the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (Application Outside Great Britain) Order 2013.

Guidance on the application of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (Application outside Great Britain) Order 2013 is published by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on its website. HSE also publishes an Offshore Information Sheet No 1/2013 relating to the application of health and safety law offshore.

The guidance outlines that the 1974 Act applies to any energy structure or activities connected with, or preparatory to, the exploitation of those structures for the production of energy from wind. The provisions also apply to exploration activities with a view to producing energy from wind and the operation of a cable for transmitting electricity from an energy structure.

The definition of an energy structure includes structure or machine. Ships are not defined as energy structures for the purposes of this legislation.