Rely on regulation? No Thanks. An organised community is the best defence against the fracking industry
Press release from Frack Free East Yorkshire:
- A Health & Safety Investigation has revealed that the rig used at Rathlin Energy’s well site in Holderness was operating without a valid certificate of conformity
- The rig is owned by infamous fracking company Cuadrilla Resources and was used to frack Preese Hall well near Blackpool, causing the 2011 earthquakes that lead to the UK wide fracking moratorium.
In October 2014 a worker on the West Newton well site was seen climbing the rig at height without a safety harness. A ‘protector’ camped at the site and a local resident witnessed the incident and sent video evidence to the Health & Safety Executive (HSE). (1)
The HSE took the matter so seriously they conducted a thorough investigation, the results of which have now been made public. They concluded that the video footage was not of good enough quality to determine for definite whether or not the worker was connected to fall arrest equipment. (2)
However the investigation discovered that the rig is owned by fracking company Cuadrilla, was imported in 2010, and was never certified for use in the UK. (3)
The report states that Marriott Drilling (who lease the rig), “claimed to have done a lot of ‘soul searching’ since the complaint and thoroughly reviewed the issue of safe working up the rig mast.” (4) and made modifications to the rig as a result. (5)
A Freedom of Information request then revealed the rig had also been deployed to numerous Cuadrilla sites, including Preese Hall near Blackpool in 2011. (6)
The rig was used to carry out the only high volume hydraulic fracturing job ever done in the UK in April & May 2011, causing the widely reported earthquakes, which led to the UK wide fracking moratorium. (7)
Richard Howarth of Frack Free East Yorkshire said, “We were promised gold standard regulation with no risk. What we got was 19 breaches of EA permit in 6 months, an emergency well shutdown, noxious smells for weeks on end, and a Cuadrilla fracking rig not even certified for use in the UK – but it was half a decade before anybody noticed. This is fundamental stuff. And now the regulators are being cut to the bone – how will they cope with hundreds of new gas wells spreading across our countryside like a pox?” (8,9,10,11)
The revelations were made by a member of the public speaking at the fracking Planning Inquiry in Lancashire on Thursday (10th March). Cuadrilla’s Planning Application was turned down by Lancashire Country Council, but is now at appeal. The Planning Inquiry is in its final few days. (12)
Research & Reporting by No Drill No Spill & Communities of Holderness Against On-Shore Drilling – concerned local residents in the West Newton area.
Contact
Richard Howarth 07816 759 121
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Notes
1. Worker climbing rig without harness; link to video footage:
F.F.E.Y. website > incidents > 6th Oct – Health and Safety Breach, West Newton
3. HSE Report, p16, Section 5.2:
“The workover rig is known as ESR-550 … brought into the UK in 2010
…
The workover rig is owned by Cuadrilla and is leased commercially to Marriott Drilling
…
In conjunction with Cuadrilla, it [Marriott Drilling] had recently reviewed the certification of the rig and found that although the rig identification plate carried the CE and ATEX marks and technical and operational information had been provided, the EC Declaration of Conformity was not signed. Subsequent investigation by Cuadrilla and Marriott Drilling had revealed that when the rig arrived in the UK, the conformity assessment by Intertek was about 95% complete but not finished.
On discovering this Cuadrilla arranged for the conformity assessment to be repeated … scheduled to be completed within 6 weeks“
4. bottom of p16.
5. Section 9 Final Design Outcome., p21
Photographs of a new gantry and handrails added to rig. Figs 24 & 25
7. Government Report into earthquakes at Preese Hall
British Geological Society et al for DECC, April 2012
8. 19 Breaches of EA Permit
Evidenced from EA reports, and reported by the Hull Daily Mail & Drill or Drop:
F.F.E.Y. website > incidents > West Newton Wellsite: 19 Breaches of EA Permit
9. Noxious smells for weeks
Evidenced in numerous EA site visits reports, reports by local residents, and reported in The Guardian by John Vidal:
F.F.E.Y. website > incidents > Sept-Oct – Gas Leaks & Noxious Smells, West Newton
10. Emergency well shutdown
Evidenced from statement by the HSE:
F.F.E.Y. website > incidents > 12th August – Mini-frack test goes wrong, West Newton
11. The EA recently lost 1700 staff, and Liz Truss just eagerly volunteered DEFRA for a further 30% budget cut:
Defra hit by largest budget cuts of any UK government department, analysis shows – The Guardian, 15th Nov 2015
12. Information about the public inquiry into Cuadrilla’s fracking plans for the Fylde area of Lancashire, Feb-Mar 2016 – Drill Or Drop
