HSE issues second safety notice about gangway risks

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in the UK recently issued a safety notice that once again highlights the risk of potentially fatal accidents caused by motion-compensated gangways on offshore vessels.

The HSE says serious risks have been identified where motion-compensated gangways retract without warning due to power failures or control system errors. This puts workers at risk of falling from height, being struck by moving parts, or suffering serious injuries including death.

“Unplanned retraction – also known as auto-retraction – poses a significant, foreseeable risk to personnel on the gangway if they are not given adequate warning to allow them to move to a safe location or brace for sudden movement, or allow sufficient time for the gangway operator to override the retraction,” the HSE states.

“Lack of warning that the gangway is about to retract can lead to people falling onto the gangway, being struck by moving parts or falling from height, resulting in serious injury or death in the most serious cases.”

The safety body called on operators in the oil and gas and renewable energy sectors to review their gangway arrangements. Any gangways that cannot provide sufficient warning before automatic retraction must be taken out of service until proper safety controls are installed, it says.

The HSE highlights that DNV, as part of a joint industry project, produced industry guidance, Gangway Access to Offshore Facilities – Walk-to-Work’ (PP097552 – Rev 1), which states, “There should be sufficient alarms (visual and/or audible) installed to inform the gangway personnel and personnel crossing the gangway, of the current status of the gangway system and to warn of imminent action, such as disconnection.” However, despite the alert, and the publication of industry good practice, gangways that provide insufficient warning before auto-retraction are still being used in the offshore oil and gas and renewables industry.

HSE operations manager offshore regulation Howard Harte says, “Despite a previous safety alert in 2024 and the publication of industry good practice, we have become aware that gangways that provide insufficient warning before auto-retraction are still being used in the offshore oil and gas and renewables industry. Our safety notice addresses continuing incidents where gangway failures have resulted in unexpected retraction without adequate warning to operators or personnel crossing between platforms. Workers have been left unable to move to safety or brace for sudden movement when systems fail.”

Under the requirements, duty holders must conduct technical risk assessments of all automatic gangway functions. Control systems must only allow auto-retraction when personnel are confirmed safe. The use of gangway operators to manually override automatic retractions requires rigorous risk assessment. The HSE emphasises adequate warning systems must provide advance notice before dangerous events occur. “Audible and/or visual alarms that are triggered at the same time the gangway retracts are not considered to provide adequate warning to enable workers to reach safety,” Mr Harte concludes.