An oil worker has been treated for radiation sickness after sleeping through a warning and wandering into a fenced-off radiation zone.
The man, who is employed by offshore firm Sparrows, has undergone medical tests and has since been given the all-clear.
The incident happened 145 miles east of Aberdeen on the Lomond Installation, which is run by BG group.
Stork, an asset integrity firm, was carrying out an inspection on a part of the platform using X-ray radiography, in a process called non-destructive testing (NDT).
It is understood that a loud, audible warning was played over the installation’s tannoy system and clearly marked safety barriers were in place to keep people away from potentially dangerous radioactivity.
It is believed that the Sparrows worker, who was wearing ear protection, had been taking nap while the warning was blaring over the loudspeakers, and then walked past the erected safety barriers into the radiation zone.
A spokesman for Stork said: “During a routine NDT inspection, involving radiography techniques, it is suspected that an offshore worker was found to be within a barriered-off area.
“The individual has received medical evaluations both offshore and onshore and is confirmed to be safe.”
A spokesman for BG group said: “We are working with Stork and Sparrows to understand why the individual was located where he was and what process improvements are required in the future.
“Most importantly we are pleased the individual is safe and well.”
Amy Wareing, a lecturer in radiography at Robert Gordon University, said: “The amount of damage that can be caused to the body depends a lot on what kind of radiation it could be.
“Both X-Rays and gamma radiation could be used offshore for different purposes, but the biological harm that they could cause depends entirely on if the strength and duration of the doses breach threshold levels.
“The biological effects can range dramatically, from skin reddening called erythma, to higher levels causing skin and hair epilation, although radiation levels that could lead to epilation would be highly unlikely to exist offshore, and are primarily used to kill cancer cells.”