Recognising Outstanding Leadership in Safe Well Abandonment

Orion Group 2025 Health and Safety Award

At Orion, safety is not simply a priority, it is a core value that underpins everything we do. Each year, our Health and Safety Award recognises individuals who go above and beyond to champion safe working practices, build strong safety cultures, and deliver complex projects without compromising on wellbeing or operational integrity.

For 2025, we are proud to recognise Mike Bradford for his exceptional leadership and commitment to health, safety and environmental excellence during a major well abandonment campaign for Spirit Energy.

Nominated by Jonathan Cockeram (Head of Wells) at Spirit Energy, Mike’s leadership of the York well abandonment campaign set a benchmark for proactive safety culture, collaboration, and operational discipline, in offshore decommissioning.

Delivering safe decommissioning at York

The abandonment of offshore wells is a technically complex and high-risk operation. It requires precise planning, rigorous engineering controls, and, above all, a strong safety culture embedded at every level of the team.

Mike Bradford led the Spirit team tasked with abandoning five wells at York using the Well-Safe Solutions vessel, Well-Safe Protector. This was a critical campaign within Spirit Energy’s decommissioning programme, requiring coordination between multiple contractors, offshore crews, onshore support teams, and specialist service providers.

From mobilisation through to completion, the campaign was executed with outstanding professionalism and an unwavering focus on health and safety. The result speaks for itself:

Zero HSE incidents across the entire campaign.

In an environment where risks must be actively managed every hour of every shift, achieving a completely incident-free project is a testament to the quality of leadership and team engagement fostered by Mike and his colleagues.

Building a proactive safety culture

While zero incidents is an impressive outcome, what truly sets this campaign apart is the proactive safety culture embedded throughout the operation.

Under Mike’s leadership, the team recorded:

• Over 1,400 safety observations
• 36 task-specific audits completed

These figures demonstrate not just compliance, but engagement. Safety observations are a powerful tool in strengthening frontline awareness, encouraging open communication, and identifying potential risks before they escalate. Recording more than 1,400 observations during a single campaign highlights a workforce that was actively looking for ways to improve and protect one another.

Similarly, the completion of 36 task-specific audits reflects a disciplined and structured approach to risk management. These audits ensured that procedures were not only followed but continuously reviewed and enhanced where necessary.

This proactive mindset transforms safety from a box-ticking exercise into a shared responsibility. It creates an environment where every team member feels empowered to speak up, challenge unsafe conditions, and contribute to continuous improvement.

Leadership that sets the tone

Safety culture always starts with leadership.

Mike Bradford’s approach was rooted in visibility, communication, and accountability. By setting clear expectations from the outset and reinforcing them throughout the campaign, he ensured that safety remained central to decision-making at every stage.

Effective leadership in high-risk operations means:

• Promoting open dialogue across disciplines
• Encouraging reporting without blame
• Ensuring lessons are learned and shared
• Leading by example in both attitude and action

Feedback from Spirit Energy emphasised the exemplary teamwork demonstrated across the campaign. Strong collaboration between offshore crews, contractors, and onshore management created alignment around a common goal: delivering safe, efficient well abandonment.

When leadership fosters trust and respect, teams respond with ownership and pride in their work. This was clearly evident throughout the York campaign.

The importance of safe well abandonment

As the energy sector continues to evolve, responsible decommissioning plays an increasingly vital role in protecting the environment and maintaining the integrity of offshore assets.

Well abandonment is a critical process that ensures wells are permanently sealed, eliminating long-term environmental risks and safeguarding future marine activity. The technical complexity involved requires meticulous engineering design, careful execution, and stringent verification processes.

In this context, maintaining zero incidents while managing operational pressures is a significant achievement. It demonstrates that high performance and high safety standards are not mutually exclusive. In fact, they go hand in hand.

By delivering a flawless safety record during the abandonment of five wells at York, Mike and his team have contributed not only to operational success but also to environmental stewardship and industry best practice.

Recognising excellence through nomination

The nomination for this award was submitted by Jonathan Cockeram (Head of Wells) at Spirit Energy, who highlighted the campaign’s exceptional execution and proactive safety culture.

Jonathan’s recognition underscores the impact Mike had not just operationally, but culturally. Leadership that inspires engagement, encourages reporting, and drives continuous improvement leaves a lasting legacy beyond a single project.

In the competitive and technically demanding world of offshore energy, such recognition is earned through consistent performance, integrity, and a genuine commitment to protecting people and assets.

Why this achievement matters

At Orion, we work alongside clients across the energy sector, supporting complex operations in challenging environments. We understand that safety excellence does not happen by chance. It requires:

• Clear leadership
• Strong collaboration
• Continuous learning
• Open communication
• Shared accountability

Mike Bradford’s leadership on the York campaign embodies all of these principles.

The scale of proactive engagement, illustrated by over 1,400 safety observations and 36 audits, demonstrates that safety was not reactive but deeply embedded into daily operations. This level of engagement strengthens team morale, improves operational discipline, and significantly reduces risk exposure.

Most importantly, it ensures that every individual returns home safely.

Setting a benchmark for 2025

The Orion 2025 Health and Safety Award celebrates individuals who make a measurable and meaningful impact on workplace safety. Mike Bradford’s contribution to Spirit Energy’s well abandonment programme stands as a benchmark for what can be achieved when leadership, teamwork, and culture align.

Zero incidents is the headline result, but the deeper success lies in the behaviours and systems that made it possible. A campaign of this scale demands resilience, attention to detail, and constant vigilance. The proactive approach taken by Mike and the Spirit team reflects a mature and forward-thinking safety culture that others in the industry can look to as an example.

Congratulations: Mike Bradford

On behalf of everyone at Orion Group, we extend our congratulations to Mike Bradford for receiving the 2025 Health and Safety Award.

His leadership throughout the York well abandonment campaign demonstrates what true safety excellence looks like in practice. By fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and proactive risk management, he ensured that a technically complex operation was delivered without incident and with the highest professional standards.

Commenting on the award, Andy Christie,BMS Director at Orion Group, said:

“Mike’s leadership on this campaign represents the very best of our industry. Delivering five well abandonments with zero HSE incidents is a significant achievement in itself, but what truly stands out is the proactive safety culture he helped create. Over 1,400 safety observations and dozens of audits demonstrate genuine engagement from the entire team. That level of commitment protects people, strengthens performance, and sets a benchmark for others to follow. We are proud to recognise Mike with this year’s Health and Safety Award.”

We also recognise and thank Spirit Energy for their continued commitment to safe operations and for nominating Mike for this award. Partnerships built on shared values around safety and performance are fundamental to delivering long-term success across the energy sector.

As the industry continues to evolve and new challenges emerge, leaders like Mike Bradford remind us that strong safety cultures are the foundation of sustainable performance.

Quality of submissions

The level of engagement with this year’s Health and Safety Award has been particularly encouraging. We received nominations from across our projects and client partnerships, each demonstrating genuine commitment to creating safer working environments and driving continuous improvement. The breadth and quality of submissions made the judging process extremely difficult, highlighting just how deeply embedded strong safety cultures are within our network.

Andy Christie, commented: “We would like to extend our sincere thanks to everyone who submitted a nomination for the 2025 Health and Safety Award. The quality and standard of applications this year was exceptionally high, which reflects the strength of safety leadership and culture across our projects and partnerships. It is hugely encouraging to see such commitment to protecting people, assets and the environment across the industry.”