In July 1988 a catastrophic explosion and fire occurred on the Piper Alpha North Sea Oil platform. This program, made soon after the incident, looks at various factors that contributed to the disaster. 229 people were on board, and 165 were killed, plus 2 rescuers, totalling 167 fatalities. The rig itself was so severely damaged, it had to be demolished, with a legacy of toxic debris left on the sea-bed (still toxic in 2010). The company (Occidental) had to leave the North Sea oil fields.

Eyewitness accounts of the 35 survivors were fed to a Risk Analyst consultant to obtain likely causes. Theories included the lack of securing Risk Analysts advice in the commissioning of rigs. The differing designs of the Norwegian oil platforms show higher levels of safety.

Support materials are supplied on CD. This includes: - Facilitator's guide, including facilitator's checklist - Facilitator's slide guide - Participants' handouts and powerpoint presentation. 40 minutes.