Probability Analysis and Prevention of Offshore Oil and Gas Accidents: Fire as a Cause and a Consequence

Abstract

Failures during the drilling and exploitation of hydrocarbons that result in catastrophic offshore oil and gas accidents are relatively rare but if they occur the consequences can be catastrophic in terms of loss of life and environmental damage. Therefore, to gain insight into their prevention, the largest major offshore oil and gas accidents, those with more than 10 fatalities or with a large environmental impact, are analyzed in this article. Special attention is placed on fire as a cause and a consequence. Relevant technological and legislative changes and updates regarding safety that have followed such accidents and that can prevent potential future similar misfortunes are evaluated. Two main approaches to safety are compared: (1) the American prescriptive vs. (2) the European goal-oriented approach. The main causes of accidents are tested statistically in respect of failure probability, where the exact confidence limits for the estimated probabilities are computed. The results of the statistical test based on exact confidence intervals show that there is no significant difference between the analysed factors, which describe the main causes of offshore oil and gas accidents. Based on the small but carefully chosen group of 24 of the largest accidents, it can be concluded that there is no evidence of a difference between the categories of the main causes of accidents.

Risk Matrix as a Tool for Risk Analysis for Work-Related Hazard in Offshore Installation in the Oil and Gas Industry

“…Other main vessels/heavy object dropping or falling load/collision, Fire/explosion, Blowout/ release of fluid or gas, and Capsizing/ overturning/toppling will likely result in a fatality as they occur. The most frequent cause of accidents in offshore installations is Blowout [24].in words of [25], Blowouts can lead to the loss of life, environmental damage, and loss of resources, etc. Capsizing/overturning refers to a situation where the vessel at sea list to one side to such an extent that is not able to regain its original position, leading to tipping over of the vessel in the water and making it unsafe for both crew and machinery onboard.…”

Risk Matrix as a Tool for Risk Analysis in Underwater Operations in the Oil and Gas Industry

“…These include contamination of the air via the fire plume and its subsequent diffusion, with deposition of particulate and other materials likely to contaminate soil and water. Contamination of soil and water from fire suppression runoff, which might contain toxic or hazardous materials, and direct exposure to soil and water from hazardous materials whose containers / containment systems may fail due to fire [21]. Hydrocarbon fires and explosions are extremely hazardous on offshore platforms [23].…”

“…According to [21], blowout is the most frequent cause of accidents in the offshore oil and gas. Blowouts can cause loss of life, environmental damage, and loss of resource [24].…”

Guidelines on Asset Management of Offshore Facilities for Monitoring, Sustainable Maintenance, and Safety Practices

“…When changes are made or when the established human (individual), technological (job), and organizational framework is challenged, a study on human factors should be conducted. However, daily operations on offshore facilities involve some risks thus the need for various guidance on offshore facilities by respective bodies [ 225 , 226 , 227 , 228 , 229 , 230 , 231 , 232 , 233 , 234 , 235 , 236 ]. Other procedures that could be conducted are included in the elements of a management system for aging facilities that was proposed by HSE in Figure 12 .…”

“…Active, passive, or procedural barriers can be effectively used, and they can include equipment and/or people. Depending on the degree of the possible threat, the oil company should employ different barriers to establish redundancy and establish risk assessments [ 226 , 227 , 228 , 229 , 230 , 231 , 232 , 233 , 234 , 235 , 236 ].…”