Offshore Safety Management


Book Description

Offshore Safety Management -- Significant Events -- SEMP -- Safety and Environmental Management Systems (SEMS) -- The Elements of SEMS -- Implementing SEMS -- Safety Cases -- Formal Safety Assessments.




Offshore Safety Management


Book Description

2010 was a defining year for the offshore oil and gas industry in the United States. On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) floating drilling rig suffered a catastrophic explosion and fire. Eleven men died in the explosion — 17 others were injured. The fire, which burned for a day and a half, eventually sent the entire rig to the bottom of the sea. The extent of the spill was enormous, and the environmental damage is still being evaluated. Following DWH the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulations and Enforcement (BOEMRE) issued many new regulations. One of them is the Safety and Environmental System (SEMS) rule, which is based on the American Petroleum Institute's SEMP recommended practice. Companies have to be in full compliance with its extensive requirements by November 15, 2011.




Evaluating the Effectiveness of Offshore Safety and Environmental Management Systems


Book Description

This report recommends that the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) take a holistic approach to evaluating the effectiveness offshore oil and the Safety and Environmental Management Systems (SEMS) programs of gas industry operators. According to the report, this approach should, at a minimum, include inspections, audits by the operator and BSEE, key performance indicators, and a whistleblower program. SEMS is a safety management system (SMS) aimed at shifting from a completely prescriptive regulatory approach to one that is proactive, risk based, and goal oriented in an attempt to improve safety and reduce the likelihood that events similar to the April 2010 Macondo incident will reoccur. According to the committee that produced the report, it is not possible for a regulator to create a culture of safety in an organization by inspection or audit; that culture needs to come from within the organization. To be successful, the tenets of SEMS must be fully acknowledged and accepted by workers, motivated from the top, and supported throughout the organization and must drive worker actions. The report also notes that BSEE can encourage and aid industry in development of a culture of safety by the way it measures and enforces SEMS. The committee believes BSEE should seize this opportunity to make a step change in safety culture by adopting a goal based holistic approach to evaluating the effectiveness of SEMS programs. In recommending a holistic approach to evaluating the effectiveness of SEMS programs, the report explores in detail the role of SEMS in helping to develop a culture of safety, highlights the pros and cons of various methods of assessing the effectiveness of a SEMS program, and investigates existing approaches for assessing the SMS programs of various U.S. and international regulatory agencies whose safety mandates are similar to that of BSEE.




An Operations Guide to Safety and Environmental Management Systems (SEMS)


Book Description

An Operations Guide to Safety and Environmental Management Systems (SEMS): Making Sense of BSEE SEMS Regulations gives engineers and managers a vital tool to understand, prepare and manage SEMS audits before, during and after they are done. At the core of the book are 17 elements stemming from regulations which are broken down in parts to help management learn the compliance measures. Elements are supported by practical case studies that analyze past failures and lessons learned. A helpful glossary, abbreviations list and additional section of references give offshore engineers and operators clear-and-concise direction on how to perform key actions in SEMS audits. - Breaks down each element of the SEMS audit to understand guidelines and lessons learned - Supported with real-world case studies, a glossary, an abbreviations list and extended references - Teaches readers the purpose of regulations and what is most critical




Macondo Well Deepwater Horizon Blowout


Book Description

The blowout of the Macondo well on April 20, 2010, led to enormous consequences for the individuals involved in the drilling operations, and for their families. Eleven workers on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig lost their lives and 16 others were seriously injured. There were also enormous consequences for the companies involved in the drilling operations, to the Gulf of Mexico environment, and to the economy of the region and beyond. The flow continued for nearly 3 months before the well could be completely killed, during which time, nearly 5 million barrels of oil spilled into the gulf. Macondo Well-Deepwater Horizon Blowout examines the causes of the blowout and provides a series of recommendations, for both the oil and gas industry and government regulators, intended to reduce the likelihood and impact of any future losses of well control during offshore drilling. According to this report, companies involved in offshore drilling should take a "system safety" approach to anticipating and managing possible dangers at every level of operation-from ensuring the integrity of wells to designing blowout preventers that function under all foreseeable conditions-in order to reduce the risk of another accident as catastrophic as the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill. In addition, an enhanced regulatory approach should combine strong industry safety goals with mandatory oversight at critical points during drilling operations. Macondo Well-Deepwater Horizon Blowout discusses ultimate responsibility and accountability for well integrity and safety of offshore equipment, formal system safety education and training of personnel engaged in offshore drilling, and guidelines that should be established so that well designs incorporate protection against the various credible risks associated with the drilling and abandonment process. This book will be of interest to professionals in the oil and gas industry, government decision makers, environmental advocacy groups, and others who seek an understanding of the processes involved in order to ensure safety in undertakings of this nature.




Offshore Process Safety


Book Description

Methods in Chemical Process Safety, Volume Two, the latest release in a serial that publishes fully commissioned methods papers across the field of process safety, risk assessment, and management and loss prevention, aims to provide informative, visual and current content that appeals to both researchers and practitioners in process safety. This new release contains unique chapters on offshore safety, offshore platform safety, human factors in offshore operation, marine safety, safety during well drilling and operation, safety during processing (top side), safety during transportation of natural resources (offshore pipeline), and regulatory context - Helps acquaint the reader/researcher with the fundamentals of process safety - Provides the most recent advancements and contributions on the topic from a practical point-of-view - Presents users with the views/opinions of experts in each topic - Includes a selection of the author(s) of each chapter from among the leading researchers and/or practitioners for each given topic




Methods to Assess and Manage Process Safety in Digitalized Process System


Book Description

Methods to Assess and Manage Process Safety in Digitalized Process System, Volume Six, the latest release in the Methods in Chemical Process Safety series, highlights new advances in the field, with this new volume presenting interesting chapters written by an international board of authors. - Provides the authority and expertise of leading contributors from an international board of authors - Presents the latest release in the Methods in Chemical Process Safety series - Provides the authority and expertise of leading contributors from an international board of authors




Methods in Chemical Process Safety


Book Description

Methods in Chemical Process Safety, Volume One publishes fully commissioned reviews across the field of process safety, risk assessment, and management and loss prevention, with this volume focusing on the process of learning from experience, elements of process safety management, human factors in the chemical process industries, and the regulation of chemical process safety, including current approaches and their effectiveness. Users will find an informative tool and user manual for process safety for both engineering researchers and practitioners that details the latest methods in the field of chemical process safety. Helps acquaint the reader/researcher with the fundamentals of process safety Provides the most recent advancements and contributions on the topic from a practical point-of-view Presents users with the views/opinions of experts in each topic Includes a selection of the author(s) of each chapter from among the leading researchers and/or practitioners for each given topic




Managing the Risk of Offshore Oil and Gas Accidents


Book Description

This book addresses the international legal dimension of the management of the risk of accidents associated with offshore oil and gas activities. It focuses on the prevention and minimization of harm as well as the post-accident management of loss through liability and compensation arrangements and the processing of mass claims for compensation. Government officials of countries with offshore industries, international civil servants and academics in related fields will find the book a valuable resource.




Applied Operational Excellence for the Oil, Gas, and Process Industries


Book Description

Applied Operational Excellence for the Oil, Gas, and Process Industries offers a straightforward practical guide for oil and gas companies to understand the comparisons and contrasts between various types of safety management processes, including the standardized structure and ongoing extended benefits that operational excellence can bring to an oil and gas company. The goal of achieving operational excellence is to reduce costs, improve productivity, and enhance efficiency—in other words, operational excellence contributes to the bottom line. Following along with pre-built success in the process industries, many companies in the oil and gas industry appear to use a subset form of operational excellence, yet many are unsure or unaware of all the safety system components that will truly benefit the company holistically, and current literature is only applicable to the process and manufacturing industries. Packed with clear objectives and tools, structure guidelines specific to oil and gas, and guidance for how to imbed your existing safety program under the operational excellence umbrella known as "One-Step Merger," this book will help you establish an overall safety culture vision and challenge your organization to achieve higher levels of safety management and overall company value. - Explores how to solidify a foundational operational excellence program applicable for your oil and gas company - Clarifies the differences and benefits among various programs under operational excellence (OE), such as SHE (safety, health, and environment), PSM (process safety management), and SMS (safety management system) - Explains how to audit and consistently assess how oil and gas OE systems are planned, implemented, and managed, with explanations on cost and time impacts as well as administrative protocols - Includes a glossary, acronym appendix, and additional references for further reading