Ensco Fined £287,025 After Worker Fell Through Rig Void in 2023

7 articles · Updated · BBC.com · May 18

Aberdeen Sheriff Court fined Ensco £267,000, with a victim surcharge lifting the total to £287,025, after the company admitted a Health and Safety at Work Act breach over Jason Thomas's death.
Thomas, 50, disappeared from the Valaris 121 in 2023 while the jackup rig was being towed about 100 miles southeast of Aberdeen; a dislodged grating outside a door left an opening to the sea below.
Prosecutors said too few fastening clips had been fitted and wave action during the tow was enough to make the grating fail, a risk the HSE said could likely have been prevented with relatively simple controls.
The search and rescue operation was called off the next day and Thomas's body was never recovered, a loss the HSE said caused lasting anguish for his family, colleagues and community.

Is a £287,000 fine for a worker's death justice, or just the cost of business?

How did a company with a top safety record overlook a simple flaw that proved fatal?