CompEx Ex Awareness Training | T&D Helping to Raise Safety Standards in Hazardous Areas

Published 25 Mar 2026

CompEx Ex Awareness Initiative Round-Up

On 6 July 1988, the Piper Alpha disaster claimed the lives of 167 men in the North Sea.

For many, it is a moment in history. For others, it hits much closer to home.

Terry McDonald’s father worked offshore, so when news of the disaster began to spread and people started ringing the house that night, the uncertainty and fear were very real. His father was not working on Piper Alpha, but the event still left a lasting impression and a stark reminder of how devastating failures in hazardous environments can be.

Fast forward to today, and Terry now works for a company supplying equipment into hazardous areas, continuing to campaign for better awareness, better decision-making, and stronger vigilance around Fake ATEX / non-compliant equipment.

That is exactly why we launched this initiative – to help raise awareness before failure forces change, and to reinforce that hazardous area safety depends not only on engineering disciplines, but on everyone involved in specification, procurement, support, and site operations.

Because the lesson from Piper Alpha is not just about what happened. It is about what should happen next.

At Thorne & Derrick, we recently delivered a fully funded CompEx Ex Awareness (Ex A) course in partnership with Roxby Training Solutions.

The response to the campaign was immediate. With 200+ registrations, it became clear that there is a strong appetite across industry for improving knowledge — not only within engineering roles, but across everyone involved in hazardous area operations, procurement, and support.

In practical terms, the initiative brought that message to life.

From that response, 10 delegates were selected to attend the course, and we are pleased to say that all 10 successfully passed.

One of the strongest outcomes from the day was the delegate feedback. A consistent theme ran through the comments: a greater understanding of risk, responsibility, and the importance of compliant equipment in hazardous areas.

Some of the clearest takeaways included:

These responses reflect a simple but important point: awareness changes behaviour – and behaviour ultimately impacts safety.

Several responses also reinforced the importance of recognising compliant equipment and asking better questions at specification and purchasing stage — exactly the kind of thinking that helps reduce risk before equipment ever reaches site.

Crucially, every delegate confirmed that their company would benefit from Terry’s Fake ATEX / non-compliant equipment presentation, reinforcing that the need for awareness extends beyond the individual and across wider teams and organisations.

As part of the day, Terry McDonald delivered a presentation focused on the risks of Fake ATEX / non-compliant equipment – an issue that continues to present real danger across the supply chain.

That message resonated strongly with the room and reinforced a core principle behind this initiative: safer outcomes do not begin only with compliant products, but with people who understand the consequences of getting things wrong.

Piper Alpha remains one of the clearest reminders of why proactive learning and safety improvement matter. This short film captures the human legacy behind that lesson.

The film was produced for Step Change by The Art Department and features audio from the BBC Radio 3 drama Piper Alpha – The Human Price of Oil by Stephen Phelps. The artwork was drawn by Sue Jane Taylor, who was offshore in the months before the disaster. She sketched many of the men on Piper Alpha and went on to create the iconic memorial that now stands in Hazlehead Park.

Piper Alpha led to major changes in offshore safety, but its wider lesson remains just as relevant today:

That is why initiatives like this matter. They help move the conversation forward before tragedy forces change and reinforce the importance of awareness at every stage of the supply chain.

This initiative is one step – but it reflects something bigger.

A responsibility to raise awareness across hazardous area industries, challenge the risks of Fake ATEX / non-compliant equipment, and support better decision-making across the supply chain.

At Thorne & Derrick, we see first-hand how improved awareness, correct specification, and compliant supply can reduce risk and raise standards. But ultimately, safer outcomes do not start with products alone. They start with people who understand the consequences of getting it wrong.