For six agonizing seconds, Joe Meanen plummeted 175ft into the North Sea after jumping from the burning wreckage of the Piper Alpha oil rig. His initial thought was: "What the fuck have I done?" The catastrophic explosion and collapse of the platform on July 6, 1988, had claimed the lives of 167 crew members and two rescue crew members.
Meanen, who had just completed a two-week stint on the platform, was one of the few survivors. He and his accommodation mates were in high spirits before the disaster, unaware of the horrors that awaited them. As he descended into the inferno, Meanen recalls feeling uneasy about the construction works on the platform, which he suspected may have contributed to the disaster.
The non-operational gas pump's ignition caused the first explosion, followed by a second blast from a neighboring oil platform. The platform's structure began to melt and disintegrate, causing widespread panic among the crew. Meanen's priority was to escape, but the intense smoke made it impossible to breathe without a breathing apparatus.
Desperate to survive, Meanen threw a lifejacket over the edge of the helideck and leapt into the water. He sustained burns during his fall but managed to use the lifejacket to stay afloat. After swimming towards the surface, he spotted the hull of the lifeboat and pulled himself aboard.
Meanen's harrowing experience left him with physical scars on his hands and arms, which served as a tangible reminder of his ordeal. He attributes this physical trauma to helping him recover mentally from the traumatic event. The public inquiry into the disaster found Occidental Petroleum guilty of inadequate safety procedures, but no criminal charges were brought against the company.
In the aftermath, Meanen struggled with grief but eventually adopted a mindset of sharing his story and offering advice on offshore safety. He has since become an advocate for the importance of talking about traumatic experiences and has spoken at oil companies about the lessons learned from Piper Alpha.
Meanen, who had just completed a two-week stint on the platform, was one of the few survivors. He and his accommodation mates were in high spirits before the disaster, unaware of the horrors that awaited them. As he descended into the inferno, Meanen recalls feeling uneasy about the construction works on the platform, which he suspected may have contributed to the disaster.
The non-operational gas pump's ignition caused the first explosion, followed by a second blast from a neighboring oil platform. The platform's structure began to melt and disintegrate, causing widespread panic among the crew. Meanen's priority was to escape, but the intense smoke made it impossible to breathe without a breathing apparatus.
Desperate to survive, Meanen threw a lifejacket over the edge of the helideck and leapt into the water. He sustained burns during his fall but managed to use the lifejacket to stay afloat. After swimming towards the surface, he spotted the hull of the lifeboat and pulled himself aboard.
Meanen's harrowing experience left him with physical scars on his hands and arms, which served as a tangible reminder of his ordeal. He attributes this physical trauma to helping him recover mentally from the traumatic event. The public inquiry into the disaster found Occidental Petroleum guilty of inadequate safety procedures, but no criminal charges were brought against the company.
In the aftermath, Meanen struggled with grief but eventually adopted a mindset of sharing his story and offering advice on offshore safety. He has since become an advocate for the importance of talking about traumatic experiences and has spoken at oil companies about the lessons learned from Piper Alpha.
175ft fall is insane 
and not knowing what's gonna happen next must've been so scary 
but meanen's story is actually kinda inspiring? he's super resilient to have survived that and has turned his experience into a purpose, spreading awareness about offshore safety 
and helping others process their trauma 
it just goes to show how far we can push ourselves when we gotta 
. It's not easy to share something like that, especially when you've been through as much physical and emotional trauma as he has gone through. But it's clear that he's made a positive out of a negative situation 
. Safety procedures should always come first, especially in situations like the Piper Alpha disaster. It's a harsh lesson learned, but one that we can all learn from 
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. It's so sad he had to go through all that trauma before finding the strength to speak out about it 
. As someone who loves the ocean and wants to protect the environment 
, it's super important that we learn from disasters like Piper Alpha and work towards creating safer spaces for everyone involved