[XenaLee]

Pardon my ignorance, but why don’t all rigs have emergency evacuation plans and procedures? Hell, even an inflatable raft would be better than freezing in the water.

[Bigun]

They do my dear! The problem is that things unforeseen sometimes make a shambles of them!

[mnehring]

why don’t all rigs have emergency evacuation plans and procedures?

They do, and pretty sophisticated life boats as well. From what I understand, most go through at least two evac drills every week.

[GonzoGOP]

Pardon my ignorance, but why don’t all rigs have emergency evacuation plans and procedures? Hell, even an inflatable raft would be better than freezing in the water.

Piper Alpha was the cause of most of the current safety regulations on oil rigs, kind of like how Titanic was the cause of the passenger liner regulations. On the Piper Alpha the life boats were on one side of the rig, the crews quarters were on the other. And the pipe lines carrying the natural gas and oil were between them. To say the least that was not a good design. Worse yet the PA was a collection point for several other rigs. So even after the explosion and fire the other rigs kept pumping more fuel into the conflagration for several more minutes. When the fire started they crew was cut off from the life boats. And in the North Sea a a life vest or a little rubber raft isn't going to be enough.