Safety, Health and its Relation to Reliability in Oil and Gas Industry (Published)
Accident and incident occurrences have led to loss of invaluable cost in the oil and gas industry. Accidents or incidents however don‟t just occur but are caused by preceding events. This project clearly outlines the principals involved in accident/ incident investigation, critically reviews the techniques used in root cause analysis in order to identify their strengths and weaknesses, provides a detailed knowledge of the key phases employed in root cause analysis and develops recommendations for improvement and generation of implementation of root cause analysis report. On conclusion of this thesis through recommendations developed, lives will be saved by providing a safe and healthy working environment for personnel and the public in general, down time minimized, huge cost saved through adequate maintenance of facilities/ equipment, minimal or negligible insurance claims etc. This will thus ensure safety, health and reliability in the vibrant oil and gas industry. Despite having a standard training program, the level of competency to investigate accidents and incidents adequately and comprehensively vary from one safety professional or investigation team to another. This could be attributed to the number and types of accidents/incidents investigated i.e. experience, the frequency at which the investigations are carried out, information and documentation available for assessment, skills etc. Though these factors vary with age, experience, personal ability and industry, certain skills are essentially required for any accident or incident investigation. They include the following;
- Careful observation and understanding of key factors at the scene of the incident/accident and other areas of relevance to the occurrence
- An understanding of the technical, physical and chemical aspects of the incident/accident as the case may be
- Interviewing personnel and witnesses
- Taking of appropriate photographs and preparation of adequate sketches
- Ability of adequately record all relevant factors for future reference
- Evaluations of documentation i.e. work permits, operational manuals, and repairs/maintenance certification etc.
- Report writing
- The correct interpretation of relevant health and safety laws.
- Development of appropriate remedial action to prevent reoccurrence.
Keywords: Health, Oil and gas industry, Relation, Reliability, Safety
Safety, Health and its Relation to Reliability with Emphasis on Root Cause Analysis (Published)
Accidents are negative events with threatening overtones. At the minimum, people involved in an accident or near loss may feel self-conscious and under scrutiny. Accidents also carry with them the probability of personnel injury, claims, loss of life’s, damage to products or equipments, installation, uninsured and insured costs and enforcement actions by statutory agencies. When incidents occur, it is important that the appropriate tool and techniques are applied to ensure a significant contribution to the efficiency and effectiveness of the investigation process. This research work presents an overview of these techniques and their uses from a contrasting perspective. Tools such as root cause analysis, sequencing methods and methods for hypothesis formulation aid the investigator(s) in the investigation. These tools facilitate team working, identifying and communication of findings, management of complex investigations and the transparency of the investigation. They also add to the confidence of stake holders in an investigation and to its efficiency. The various techniques employed in incident investigation have their distinctive functions and limitations and thus they are applied to relevant situations. The root cause analysis techniques can improve the effectiveness of an investigation by ensuring a wide scope and depth of enquiry while sequencing tools allow the investigator(s) to create an externalised model of the events under inquiry and this helps as it directly probes the areas of uncertainty.
Citation: Imowo M. (2023) Safety, Health and its Relation to Reliability with Emphasis on Root Cause Analysis, International Journal of Petroleum and Gas Engineering Research, Vol.6, No.1, pp.1-9
Keywords: Health, Relation, Reliability, Safety, root cause analysis