About Us

The Emergency Preparedness Offshore Liaison (EPOL) Group was established in 1995 by individuals from various Oil and Gas Operators in Aberdeen, supported by Grampian Police (now part of Police Scotland) and the Maritime & Coast Guard Agency (MCA).

EPOL exists to gain alignment and facilitate the sharing of good practice between duty holders and interfacing organisations on emergency preparedness issues and has clear Terms of Reference

Meetings are held at regular intervals and are hosted by member organisations. In addition, EPOL working groups meet to tackle specific Emergency Response issues.

The group has progressed several important work streams in recent years including the redrafting and modernisation of existing EPOL Group guidance documents and templates, standardisation of training for Relatives Response teams, and the creation of a comprehensive pan-agency document for responding to emergencies offshore.

The work of EPOL Group relates specifically to the Offshore Oil & Gas Industry in the Northern North Sea (including West of Shetland) sector of the United Kingdom Continental Shelf - north of 55.5 degrees (the body of water which normally falls under Police Scotland jurisdiction). Although guidance produced by EPOL Group is considered to be good practice and as such, is shared with other UK Police Forces with offshore responsibilities through the UK Police Offshore Energy Group (UKPOEG), it should not be assumed that EPOL Group procedures will automatically apply in other areas of the UKCS or beyond.