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Monday, March 26, 2018
Sparrows Group is celebrating after one of its long serving senior members of staff won the Above and Beyond Award at the industry-renowned 2018 Offshore Achievement Awards.
John Fraser, HSEQ and HR director, was presented with the accolade at the black tie awards ceremony on Thursday 22nd March, by Countdown TV presenter Rachel Riley, hosted at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre.
Mr. Fraser initially joined Sparrows Group as a crane operator on the Forties field in 1977 and became the driving force behind the development of key industry processes for the safety and integrity of crane operations which have not only benefitted Sparrows own employees and operations, but also the wider industry.
John led the way in developing the Sparrows Offshore Crane Operator Training and Competence Standard in 1990. This globally recognised programme has been widely adopted as the industry standard and almost 30 years later, remains the sector benchmark for crane operators at all stages of their career across the world.
Many employers stipulate holding the Sparrows certification as a requirement and the Aberdeen headquartered company can account for having trained around 80% of crane operators in the North Sea today.
In his current role, John is responsible for maintaining Sparrows HSEQ standards and accreditations while driving the application of consistently high standards of safety and quality globally.
Stewart Mitchell, chief executive officer at Sparrows Group, said: “John’s career spans five decades, he lives and breathes safety to ensure workforce protection is at the forefront of any lifting operation. The landscape for offshore lifting operations would be very different today without the influence of John Fraser, who has helped shape crane operating standards for the oil and gas industry around the globe.”
In 1993, John was also responsible for the introduction of Standing Instruction SI-01 – Offshore Crane Operations, creating a comprehensive guide for offshore crane operators. SI-01 is currently on its 10th edition and John continues to make the publication available to industry. It forms the basis of many operators’ offshore crane procedures and is recognised as the ‘go-to handbook’ when ensuring the safety of people and assets during crane lifting operations.
Mr. Fraser commented: “When it comes to safety there is no compromise on protecting our clients, personnel and the environments in which they operate. I am honoured to have been presented with the Above and Beyond award and would like to thank Sparrows for their continued support in driving safe and efficient practices across all operations.”
The Offshore Achievement Awards is the biggest and longest established oil, gas and renewables industry awards for the UK offshore energy sector.
Sparrows Group is a global provider of specialist equipment and integrated engineering services to the energy and industrial industries. The company specialises in delivering structured and bespoke solutions in the safety critical areas of cranes, lifting, mechanical handling, cable and pipe lay, inspection and fluid power.
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