David Foster (OW 1955)

The School has learned that David Foster sadly passed away in December 2017. The Aberdeen Evening Express published the following obituary:

A man who helped transform health and safety in the oil industry after the Piper Alpha tragedy has died at the age of 79. David Foster worked as station manager for the coastguard service and held the oil and gas liaison officer post for the UK and the North Sea. Mr Foster was called out to help co-ordinate the rescues of the stricken oil workers on the day the disaster struck in 1988. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Mr Foster worked hard to change the system in place after realising there was little contact between the coastguard service and oil companies. He developed the triangle of operations now in place between offshore units, onshore company response centres and the coastguard service. After giving evidence at the Cullen Inquiry, he gave presentations to the Health and Safety Executive and ran 70 training exercises, as well as going on field visits.

Born in Oxford in 1938, Mr Foster started his education at Magdalen College School and went on to study marine electronics at Southampton University. It was there he met the love of his life, wife Dee. Mr Foster travelled a lot while working in his first job with the Merchant Navy. After 10 years’ service he took up employment with the coastguard.

By 1983 the couple had moved to Aberdeen where they finally settled with their two children, Nick and Claire.