Unit IOG1: Management of International Oil & Gas Operational Health and Safety

Element 1: Health, Safety and Environmental

Management in Context
Learning from Incidents
Investigating Incidents

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When an incident occurs it should be recorded and investigated to understand why it

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happened and how to prevent a recurrence.

The incident investigation process is an important part of the health and safety

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management system and managers should be actively involved, including making
sure that any recommendations are fully implemented and closed out.

E
The accident investigation is carried out:

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 To identify the immediate and root causes of the incident.

 To identify corrective actions that will prevent a recurrence.

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 To record factual evidence for the future.

 For legal reasons.

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 For claims purposes.
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 For staff morale, to demonstrate that the organisation does value employee
safety.

 For disciplinary purposes if worker behaviour has fallen short of the acceptable
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standard.
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 For data gathering to identify trends and patterns.

Types of incident include:

 Near-miss.
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 Accident:

− Injury.
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− Damage only.
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 Dangerous occurrence.

 Ill-health.

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The four steps in the accident investigation process are:

1. Gather factual information about the event.

2. Analyse that information and draw conclusions about the immediate and root
causes:

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− Immediate causes are the unsafe acts and unsafe conditions that gave rise
to the event.

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− Underlying or root causes lie behind the immediate causes; for example,
failures in the management system.

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3. Identify suitable corrective measures.

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4. Plan the remedial actions.

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The Importance of Learning from Major Incidents
Lessons can be learned from major incidents such as:
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 Piper Alpha 1988 – a blanking plate failure leading to a gas explosion and major
oil platform fire.

 Bhopal 1984 – an uncontrolled thermal runaway reaction in a storage tank

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leading to a large release of poison gas.
PL

 Buncefield 2005 – petrol spillage from an overfilled tank leading to a vapour

cloud explosion and major fire.

 Deepwater Horizon 2010 – a gas explosion and major fire destroyed an oil
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platform releasing large quantities of crude oil.

In each case, management, cultural and technical failures were key factors leading to
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the incident.

Hazards Inherent in Oil and Gas

Terminology
C

The following specific terms are relevant to inherent hazards in the oil and gas
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industry:

 Flash point is the lowest temperature at which there is sufficient vapour to ignite.
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 Vapour density (relative to air) indicates whether a flammable vapour is likely to

rise in the air or accumulate in low-lying areas.

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 Vapour pressure increases with temperature; a high vapour pressure means that
the liquid is very volatile and more likely to produce a flammable vapour.

 Flammable liquids have a flash point around ambient temperature.

 Highly flammable liquids have a flash point below ambient temperature.

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 Extremely flammable liquids have a very low flash point and low boiling point,
and therefore high volatility.

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 Lower flammable limit (or explosive limit) is the concentration below which a
flammable mixture is too lean to burn.

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 Upper flammable limit (or explosive limit) is the concentration above which a

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flammable mixture is too rich to burn.

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 Between the flammable limits is the flammable (or explosive) range.

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E
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 Toxic substances can produce serious, acute or chronic ill-health, or death.

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 Corrosive substances destroy living tissue by direct chemical attack.

 Irritant substances cause inflammation, in particular of the mucous membranes.

 Sensitising substances can cause an allergic response following either single acute
C

overexposure or repeated chronic overexposures.

 Carcinogenic substances can induce the growth of malignant tumours (cancer)

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capable of causing serious ill-health or death.

R

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Properties and Hazards of Gases

The following gases used and created in the production and processing of oil and gas
have hazardous properties:

 Hydrogen and methane – highly flammable and explosive gases which form
ignitable mixtures in air over a wide range of concentrations.

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 Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) – highly flammable and, being denser than air,

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collects at low level and readily forms an explosive mixture. It is stored under great
pressure and, on release, reverts to its gaseous state with rapid and considerable

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increase in volume.

 Liquefied natural gas (LNG) – liquefied methane which easily vaporises with

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rapid and considerable increase in volume, forming a highly flammable gas.

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 Nitrogen – a non-flammable gas used to ‘inert’ flammable atmospheres.
Liquefied nitrogen is used for pipe freezing and pipeline purging.

 Hydrogen sulphide – a toxic flammable gas with an offensive odour of rotten

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eggs that forms explosive mixtures with air over a wide range of concentrations.

 Oxygen – a non-flammable gas but it will encourage combustion, with

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combustible materials becoming more easily ignited in an oxygen-enriched
atmosphere.
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Properties and Hazards of Associated Products and Control Measures

The following products are used in the production and processing of oil and gas:
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 Anti-foaming agents – reduce problems caused by foam and dissolved or

trapped air.
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 Anti-wetting agents – provide a waterproof barrier.

 Micro-biocides – provide an anti-bacterial treatment.

 Corrosion treatments – delay or prevent the formation of corrosion.

C

 Refrigerants – substances used in a refrigeration cycle.

R

 Water/steam – provides a good reservoir for heat energy and heat transfer but
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with a serious risk of scalding. Steam generated from a volume of water occupies
a much greater volume and the pressure generated from this expansion has been
the cause of many explosions.

 Mercaptans – substances with offensive odours; easily detected by smell, but can
lead to headaches and nausea when inhaled.

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 Drilling muds – used to reduce friction during drilling.

 Sludges (drilling wastes including low specific activity (LSA) sludges) – may
contain naturally-occurring radionuclides such as uranium and thorium.

 Asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) – may be present in offshore installations

built before 1999.

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Hazards are related to the:

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 Physical form (powder, liquid, vapour, gas), which determines the potential route
of entry into the body (inhalation, ingestion, skin absorption or penetration).

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 Hazard classification (toxic, harmful, irritant, corrosive, sensitising, carcinogenic).

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Control measures will generally involve:

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 Risk assessment for use of hazardous substances.

 Avoiding exposure as far as possible. M

 Safe storage and handling procedures.

 Use of PPE and respiratory protective equipment appropriate for the nature and
extent of the hazard.
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Risk Management Techniques Used in the Oil and Gas

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Industries
Purposes and Uses of Risk Assessment Techniques
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Risk assessment is “simply a careful examination of what, in your work, could cause
harm to people, so that you can weigh up whether you have taken enough
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precautions or should do more to prevent harm”.

 Hazard – something with the potential to cause harm.

 Risk – the likelihood that a hazard will cause harm in combination with the
severity of injury, damage or loss that might foreseeably occur.
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The five steps to risk assessment are:

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Because of the higher levels of risk in the oil and gas industries, qualitative and
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quantified risk assessment techniques are used to:
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 Identify and rank the risks.

 Examine risk reduction measures to determine which to use.

Qualitative and Quantified Risk Assessment

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 Qualitative Risk Assessment uses qualitative methods to determine frequency

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and severity.

 Semi-Quantitative Risk Assessment approximately quantifies frequency and

severity within ranges.
C

 Quantified Risk Assessment (QRA) involves full quantification.

R
R

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Hazard Identification, Risk Estimation and Ranking of Risks

The main stages in assessment are:

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E R
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How Risk Management Tools are Applied
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In the oil and gas industries, low frequency, high impact incidents have catastrophic
consequences and must be properly managed with strong health and safety
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leadership and robust safety management systems.

Risk management systems have the same common elements:
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 Plan – have a considered policy.

 Do – have arrangements for putting the plan into practice.

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 Check – assess or monitor performance.

 Act – review performance, leading to continuous improvement in the

management system.
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OHSAS 18001:2007 Occupational Health and Management Systems: Specification

provides a recognisable management standard for certification (shown in the
following diagram).

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AT
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The elements of the system described in ILO-OSH-2001 Guidelines on Occupational
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Health and Safety Management Systems (ILO, 2001) are illustrated below.
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M
SA
C
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