Remembering disasters, decades on

SAFEWORK SA has commemorated two major workplace disasters as the authority opened the last week of Safe Work Month on 3 November 2008 in Adelaide.

In July 1988, an explosion and fire destroyed the Piper Alpha oil rig in the North Sea, killing 167 workers.

In September 1998, the Esso gas processing plant at Longford in Victoria exploded, killing two and injuring eight.

The authority says these two incidents show what can happen when safety systems fail or are neglected. It has urged all workers and employers to reflect on the events and not forget them.

Safe Work Month has been covering regional South Australia. Its last week will be spent in Adelaide, with more than 50 presentations across the metropolitan area, covering safety in hardware stores, small businesses, hazards in manufacturing, work at heights, electric shocks and bullying.