Joe Meanen's harrowing escape from the Piper Alpha oil rig on July 6, 1988, is a tale of desperation and survival. The platform, operated by Occidental Petroleum (Caledonia) Ltd, was one of the largest oil producers in the world at the time, but it would ultimately prove to be its own worst enemy.
Meanen, then 29 years old, had been working on the rig as a scaffolder for two weeks before the disaster struck. The platform was undergoing major construction and upgrades, which made it increasingly hazardous. As he settled into the cinema with his colleagues at around 9 pm that evening, Meanen recalls feeling uneasy about the effects of the works: "You could smell gas all over the platform... sometimes I even swear you could smell it inside the accommodation."
The non-operational gas pump was activated in error and ignited, causing the first explosion. The entire platform rocked violently as part of the roof collapsed, plunging everyone into darkness. Meanen attempted to use his safety training to prepare himself for working offshore but realized that trying to reach the designated lifeboat from his location was futile.
"It became clear... most people had gone up to the galley area," which was a designated safe zone. "I needed to keep moving." As he crouched with 100 men, avoiding smoke inhalation with a wet dish towel, Meanen realized that he needed to escape. He heard other small explosions and the platform's structure began to melt and disintegrate.
Six men decided to stay in the galley, which would ultimately prove fatal. Meanen joined others going up to the helideck to be noticed quickly by rescue teams. The second major explosion occurred due to a gas pipe from a neighboring oil platform, leaving no chance for any helicopters to come near the platform.
With the realization that he needed to escape and his only chance being jumping into the North Sea, Meanen threw a lifejacket over the edge of the helideck and jumped. The memory of his escape is hazy, but during his fall, he sustained burns to his arms as they flailed in the air.
After what felt like an eternity, he plunged deep into the water and followed the light from the flames to find his lifejacket floating in the sea. He managed to use it and a nearby lifeboat's roof to keep himself afloat until rescue.
The disaster resulted in the loss of 167 lives, with Meanen being one of five survivors. The Public Inquiry into the Piper Alpha Disaster found Opcal guilty of inadequate safety procedures, but no criminal charges were brought against the company. Occidental Petroleum paid out $180 million in settlements to survivors and families of the dead.
In the aftermath, Meanen struggled with grief but has since adopted the belief that he should never shy away from talking about his experience. He started an annual meet-up for other survivors in Edinburgh and believes that sharing their stories can help prevent similar disasters in the future.
Meanen's physical scars played a significant role in helping him recover mentally. He believes that having evidence of being physically injured and scarring provides proof of involvement, which he feels is more difficult to overcome than mental trauma without visible signs.
Today, Meanen runs a pub and shares his story with oil companies, aiming to make things better and honor those who lost their lives. His harrowing escape from the Piper Alpha oil rig serves as a reminder of the importance of prioritizing safety offshore.
Meanen, then 29 years old, had been working on the rig as a scaffolder for two weeks before the disaster struck. The platform was undergoing major construction and upgrades, which made it increasingly hazardous. As he settled into the cinema with his colleagues at around 9 pm that evening, Meanen recalls feeling uneasy about the effects of the works: "You could smell gas all over the platform... sometimes I even swear you could smell it inside the accommodation."
The non-operational gas pump was activated in error and ignited, causing the first explosion. The entire platform rocked violently as part of the roof collapsed, plunging everyone into darkness. Meanen attempted to use his safety training to prepare himself for working offshore but realized that trying to reach the designated lifeboat from his location was futile.
"It became clear... most people had gone up to the galley area," which was a designated safe zone. "I needed to keep moving." As he crouched with 100 men, avoiding smoke inhalation with a wet dish towel, Meanen realized that he needed to escape. He heard other small explosions and the platform's structure began to melt and disintegrate.
Six men decided to stay in the galley, which would ultimately prove fatal. Meanen joined others going up to the helideck to be noticed quickly by rescue teams. The second major explosion occurred due to a gas pipe from a neighboring oil platform, leaving no chance for any helicopters to come near the platform.
With the realization that he needed to escape and his only chance being jumping into the North Sea, Meanen threw a lifejacket over the edge of the helideck and jumped. The memory of his escape is hazy, but during his fall, he sustained burns to his arms as they flailed in the air.
After what felt like an eternity, he plunged deep into the water and followed the light from the flames to find his lifejacket floating in the sea. He managed to use it and a nearby lifeboat's roof to keep himself afloat until rescue.
The disaster resulted in the loss of 167 lives, with Meanen being one of five survivors. The Public Inquiry into the Piper Alpha Disaster found Opcal guilty of inadequate safety procedures, but no criminal charges were brought against the company. Occidental Petroleum paid out $180 million in settlements to survivors and families of the dead.
In the aftermath, Meanen struggled with grief but has since adopted the belief that he should never shy away from talking about his experience. He started an annual meet-up for other survivors in Edinburgh and believes that sharing their stories can help prevent similar disasters in the future.
Meanen's physical scars played a significant role in helping him recover mentally. He believes that having evidence of being physically injured and scarring provides proof of involvement, which he feels is more difficult to overcome than mental trauma without visible signs.
Today, Meanen runs a pub and shares his story with oil companies, aiming to make things better and honor those who lost their lives. His harrowing escape from the Piper Alpha oil rig serves as a reminder of the importance of prioritizing safety offshore.
OMG that was literally insane! Joe Meanen's survival skills are still mind-blowing 
I can imagine how scary it must've been to be trapped on that exploding platform with no way out! 
He's so brave for talking about his experience and helping others prevent similar disasters in the future 
. I love how he found a new purpose by sharing his story and running a pub, it's like his physical scars turned into something positive 
. The fact that he got to see the light from the flames on the water is so eerie 
, I can only imagine what it must've felt like for him. 
... Like, 37 years on from that explosion and still getting meetups set up? I get it, sharing the story can help, but I think Joe Meanen's doing a lot more than just "talking about his experience" - he's basically become a poster child for offshore safety. It's like, we get it, you survived, now do your part to make sure no one else goes through what you went through, ya know? Also, $180 million in settlements? That's a lot of money, but I'm not convinced it's just about the cash... Is there more to it than that?
The fact that 167 people lost their lives is still hard to comprehend... it's crazy to think about how one mistake can have such devastating consequences 
.
It's like they wanted it to blow up in their faces.
. It's all about cover-ups and corporate greed in my book 
.
! I'm sure they're still hiding something, but at least Meanen is speaking out now 
he literally risked his life to make it out alive and then went on to help others remember and prevent similar disasters 
Meanen himself got some serious burns from the fall but somehow made it through w/ a lifejacket 
and also it's so brave of him to be open about his scars physically & mentally - we should all be more supportive like that 
And I love that he's now a survivor advocate, sharing his story to prevent similar disasters! 
It's so inspiring to see him turn his trauma into something positive, like running a pub and giving talks to oil companies to improve safety procedures. 
His experience is such a powerful reminder of the importance of prioritizing safety offshore, especially in the oil industry. We should all be honoring his bravery and the lives lost on that fateful day! 
. and its amazing that he's found a way to honor those who lost their lives by running a pub and sharing his message of safety 
. But what really gets me is how much of an impact his scars had on him, both physically and mentally 
. It's like, we can see the physical damage, but mental trauma is a whole different beast 
anyway, i'm so glad he decided to use his experience to help prevent other disasters in the future, sharing those stories can be super powerful