Grampian TV (Scotland): Shell admits failures led to the deaths of two men: “Earlier this year Shell was fined a record nine hundred thousand pounds after admitting health and safety breaches.”: Monday 31 October 2005

A fatal accident inquiry into the deaths of two North Sea workers has opened with oil giant Shell admitting failures in its duty led to the events which caused their deaths.

In September 2003 22 year old Sean McCue from Fife and Keith Moncrieff from Invergowrie died after being overcome by gas while working on the Shell operated Brent Bravo.

Mr Moncrief was an experienced oil worker and had previously appeared in an offshore video.

Earlier this year Shell was fined a record nine hundred thousand pounds after admitting health and safety breaches.

The Sheriff who heard the case said there had been a 'substantial catalogue' of errors.

The authorities had maintained that there would be no inquiry into their deaths, to the dismay of the victims' families. But that decision was overturned by the Lord Advocate Colin Boyd QC who concluded that a probe would be in the wider public interest.

Offshore union AMICUS, who'd been pressing for an inquiry, hope it will raise what they claim is a pressing need to improve the maintenance of platforms and prevent a similar tragedy.

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