An offshore firm has been handed a £267,000 fine after an investigation ruled that health and safety failings resulted in an employee falling to his death through an ‘unsecured’ grate on a North Sea oil rig.
Jason Thomas, 50, from South Wales, was reported missing from the Valaris 121 on January 22, 2023, which was around 100 miles southeast of Aberdeen at the time.
After he fell through the ‘unsecured’ grate, which was directly in front of the door to the deck, an HM Coastguard search was launched and called off the following day.
Two oil supply vessels, as well as a Coastguard helicopter and aeroplane, joined the search; however, Thomas’ body was never recovered.
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An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) concluded that Thomas fell through a grate that had not been properly secured and into the North Sea.
Ensco Offshore UK Limited (EO UK Ltd) was responsible for the operation of the rig’s installation when the incident occurred.
At the time of his death, Thomas was employed by Ensco Services Limited, a wholly owned company of EO UK Ltd, where he had progressed from roustabout to deck foreman and then crane operator.
He was an experienced offshore worker with around 16 years in the industry.
HSE’s investigation found that on the morning of the incident, as the rig was under tow towards Dundee, wind speeds exceeded 30 miles per hour and wave heights were well above five metres.
Thomas was supervising the deck team and was last seen leaving the staff lounge just after 3pm.
Around 4pm, another rig worker heard “a loud noise” from outside and opened the door to the deck, where he found the grating in front of the door missing, leaving a gaping hole above the North Sea.
The control room was alerted immediately, but repeated tannoy calls failed to locate Mr Thomas. HM Coastguard was eventually contacted several hours later, shortly before 9pm.
Thomas’s hard hat, gloves and radio were found near the airlock door. His coveralls were never recovered.
HSE found that the grating panel had not been secured in line with the original equipment manufacturer’s (OEM) specifications, and that later inspections had not checked the deployment of Hilti clips, which are used to secure gratings to their substructures and stop them coming loose.
The HSE investigation further concluded that wave action over the course of the afternoon exerted sufficient upward force on the grating to cause the fixings to fail and displace it.
Following the incident, the company replaced all polymer grating across its fleet with galvanised steel grating.
After the search was called off the day following, Thomas’s mother subsequently obtained a Presumed Death Certificate through the Welsh Courts, confirming that he died on 22 January 2023. She passed away shortly after receiving this confirmation.
Ensco Offshore UK Limited pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) and 33(1)(a) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. At Aberdeen Sheriff’s Court on 18 May 2026, the company was fined £267,000, with an additional victim surcharge of £20,025, bringing the total payable to £287,025.
HSE principal inspector Steven Hanson Hall said: “This was a profound tragedy which left lasting mark on Jason’s colleagues and his community.
“Jason Thomas was an experienced offshore worker who lost his life in the most unimaginable way possible. The fact his body was never found resulted in great anguish to his mother, who has also since died.
“The investigation was incredibly complex and thorough and we hope it has provided Mr Thomas’ remaining family with some closure and reassurance that we did everything we could to secure them justice.
“Grating systems must be designed, installed and maintained so that they do not present a risk to anyone that may use them, particularly when used in environments where they are susceptible to damage.
“Had the company taken relatively simple measures to identify and control the underling risks, particularly during the rig move, it is highly likely the incident would never have occurred, and Jason would have returned home.”
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