Double Triumph for Stork Technical Services

Stork Technical Services, a 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 U.K. Oil and Gas Industry Safety Awards.

Marc Brankin, Scaffold Chargehand for Stork won The Most Promising Individual category. Stork and bSolutions at Banff and Buchan College jointly won the Innovation in Safety award for establishing an industry-first Temporary Refuge (TR) Testing City and Guilds Qualification. Stork was presented with the accolades on April 24, at the U.K. Oil and Gas Industry Safety Awards annual ceremony held at Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Center in the U.K.

The Most Promising Individual award recognizes an up-and-coming person 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 behavioral safety program was launched called MindSafety 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 recognizes 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 and Guilds Qualification. While there is industry recognized 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 at 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 and Guilds who have ensured that all Health and Safety Executive recommendations are met.

Stork was also recognized for its participation in the Brent Delta Decommissioning team. Comprised of Shell U.K. 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.