Any doubts about how safety-conscious the oil and gas industry is are quickly dispelled by a visit to any BG Group office. There, a five-point stair safety code urges people to hold the handrail, avoid using a mobile phone or BlackBerry, take one step at a time, walk not run, and not to let objects obscure their vision.

Such codes may seem trivial but they are part of a culture that has developed in an industry where accidents are frequent and sometimes catastrophic.