Employers, staff and regulators must take joint responsibility for raising safety standards in the UK oil and gas industry, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has warned.

The organisation has told members of the Offshore Industry Advisory Committee that responsibility for safety must permeate every layer of the sector.

"It is vital that we have strong and well supported safety representatives and committees, coupled with a workforce that is actively involved in improving health and safety. We also need to foster a safety culture," said Gordon MacDonald, head of the hazardous installations directorate at HSE.

He added that employees looking to become more involved in health and safety should have the full support of their line manager in accessing training initiatives and other career development opportunities.

Mr MacDonald concluded that despite recent strides made in safety in the industry, there is still room for improvement.

Elsewhere, North East Business reports that the Learning and Skills Council has helped retrain staff at a local oil and gas equipment supplier in the region through its Train to Gain Redundancy Support Fund.

Oil and Gas Directory: Training and Development