the major accident hazard management process

The Installation Safety Case -Identifies and assesses hazards, defines how risks are managed, and documents and demonstrates the basis of safety

Major accidents are:

• deathorseriouspersonalinjuryduetofire,explosionordangeroussubstancerelease

• majordamagetostructureorplant,orlossofstabilityoftheinstallationincludingwell‘blowout’,lossofcontainmentorwellcontrol

• helicopter/shipcollisionwiththeinstallation

• failureofdivingoperations’lifesupportsystems,detachmentofadivingbellortrappingofadiver

• anyothereventinvolvingdeathorseriouspersonalinjuryto5ormorepeople

StudiesarecarriedouttofullyunderstandwhatcangowrongandhowwecandesignandoperatetopreventandmitigatetheeffectsofMAHs

Safetyassessmentsestablishpotentialextentofhazardsandassesswaysofmanagingtherisk.Theseinclude:

• detailedriskassessment• fireandexplosion riskanalysis• droppedobject

assessment• shipcollision• evacuationescapeand

rescueanalysis

OperatorsmustdemonstratetotheHealthandSafetyExecutive(HSE)thattheirinstallationmeetsacceptablelevelsofsafety.Todothis,eachinstallationmustsubmita‘safetycase’totheHSEwhichmustthenbeacceptedbytheHSE.Thesafetycasedescribes:• theinstallation• majoraccidenthazards

andrisks• howtheserisksare

managed

Becauseeachinstallationisdifferentandtechnologiesadvance,eachinstallationhasitsownsafetycasewhichisregularlyupdated.

SafetycriticalelementsaretheessentialplantandequipmentwhichperformfunctionstopreventorlimittheeffectsofaMAH.ThefailureofSCEscouldcauseorcontributetoamajoraccident.

TheroleofSCEsisto:• prevent• detect• control• mitigate• rescue• recover

ExamplesofSCEsare:• hydrocarbon

containment• ignitionprevention• firedetection• firefighting• temporaryrefuge• lifeboats• installationstructure

EachSCEmustattainaperformancestandard(PS)whichoutlinesminimumlevelsof:• functionalperformance

(whattheSCEmustdo)• availabilityofSCE• reliableoperation• howtheSCEsurvives

intheeventofafireorexplosion

AssuranceisthecheckingofSCEsbythoseworkersontheinstallationassignedtomaintainingortestingthoseSCEs.Thischecking,knownaspreventativemaintenanceroutines(PMR)istoassureusthatthesafetysystemsarefunctional.ThesePMRsincludecheckssuchas:• closureandleakoff

testingofemergencyshutdownvalves

• checksongasheads• temporaryrefugeintegrity• delugetesting• inspectionofpassivefire

protection(PFP)• inspectionofstructures

Written Scheme of Examination (WSE) -Sets requirements for plant & equipment performance and Assures and Verifies they achieve this

STEP 1Major Accident Hazards (MAH) are identified

STEP 2Safety Assessmentsare made

STEP 3The Safety Case document is created

List of Safety Critical Elements (SCEs)

STEP 4Performance Standards (PS)

STEP 5Assurance Scheme

STEP 6

3

Verification Scheme and Independent Competent Person (ICP)

STEP 7

33

Verificationisaback-uptotheassurancescheme.Itrequiresanindependentcompetentperson(ICP)[alsoknownastheindependentverificationbody(IVB)]tocheckthattheSCEsarepresentandfunctional.TheICPchecksthattheSCEsarefunctioningaccordingtothePSrequirements.IfthePShasnotbeenmet,remedialactionsrecommended(RAR)aremadetothedutyholder.Thedutyholdermusttakeactiontorepair/replacetheSCEwherenecessary.

VerificationbyICPmayinvolve:• witnesstesting• inspection• auditingandreviewingrecords• interviewingoffshore

personnel

What do you need to know?The Major Accident Hazard

Management Process

coverback

Introduction

Thisleafletisaimedatalloffshoreworkerstohelp them understand what major accidentshazards (MAH) are, and recognise whatactivitiesaredoneonadailybasisbyyourselvesandcolleaguestohelppreventthesehazardsbecoming actual accidents onboard yourinstallation.

It is recognised that the offshore oil industryisahazardousone,andthishasbeenshownbydisastersinthepast.However,afterreadingthisleaflet,youshouldunderstandthatlessonshave been learned from such incidents, andthatcertainsystemsareinplacetohelppreventthemfromhappeningagain.

The prime trigger for the introduction ofmajor accident hazard management controlswas the Piper Alpha accident in July 1988.This may seem historical and irrelevant intoday’s industry, because it happened duringadifferentgenerationofoffshoreworkers,butits legacy lives on. Piper Alpha is as relevanttoday as it was in 1988 when 167 men losttheirlives.LordCullenledtheinquiryintothedisaster and his report recommended thatoperators must put in place certain controlsto stop such an event from ever happeningagain. Two of the recommendations are‘majoraccidenthazardmanagement’,andtheintroduction of the ‘safety case’ regime andthesearecentralfeaturesofthisleaflet.

This leaflet should give you all the information you need to answer the following questions:

1. Doyouknowwhatasafetycaseis,andwhatiscontainedwithinit?

2. Doyouknowwheretogetacopyofthesafetycaseatyourplaceofwork?

3. DoyouknowwhataMAHisandcouldyougiveanexample?

4. CanyounamethreeSCEs?5. WhydoyoucarryoutPMRs(preventative

maintenanceroutines)offshore?6. Howdoweensureallsafetycritical

elementsoffshorearereadyforuseiftheyarerequired?

7. DoyouknowwhattheabbreviationsICPandRARstandfor,andwhattheymeanwithregardstokeepingyousafewhilstoffshore?

This document is one of a series of Assurance & Verification publications by Step Change in Safety. Others include: • seniormanagementsummaryflier

• guidancedocumentprovidingbasicoutlineofAssuranceandVerificationrequirements

• practitioner’sguideprovidingdetailedadviceandcommonpracticeonAssuranceandVerification

Thesedocumentscanbefoundat:www.stepchangeinsafety.net

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Alexander Kiellandsemi-subcapsized

123 killed

1980 2012

0 killed

The Major Accident Hazard Timeline

INTERNATIONAL

1988

167 killed

Piper Alphaplatformexplosion

UK

1989

0 killed

Cormorant Alphaexplosiononplatform

UK

1991

Sleipnerstructuralfailureandtotallossofinstallation

0 killed

INTERNATIONAL

2005

Mumbai Highvesselcollidedwithplatform

22 killed

INTERNATIONAL

2006

0 killed

Roughplatformfire

UK

2010

0 killed

Erskineplatformfire

UK

2010

Deep Water Horizondrillingrigexplosion

11 killed

INTERNATIONAL

Elginplatformgasleak

UK