Safety Flash
UK HSE: Oil company fined for hydrocarbon release – lack of written procedures
UK HSE: Oil company fined for hydrocarbon release – lack of written procedures
- IMCA
- Safety Flash
- IMCA SF 22/21
- Control of WorkHydrocarbon ReleaseProcess Safety
- Functional safetyHydrocarbon releaseProcess safetyRegulation and legislation
- Gas detector
- Evacuation, escape and rescueFire protectionOperating and work proceduresRisk assessment
- Upstream oil and gas
- Offshore installation
Summary
This safety flash describes prosecution following a release of more than 1000 kg of hydrocarbon gas at Beryl Alpha during well depressurisation. Missing risk assessment and written procedures left a technician relying on memory. Inadvertent defeat of emergency shutdown prolonged the release, while workers remained at muster for more than six hours.
Classifications: Functional safety; safety instrumented systems; SIS.
Classifications: Hydrocarbon release; hydrocarbon leak; oil and gas release.
Classifications: Process safety; major accident hazards.
Classifications: Regulation and legislation; safety legislation; regulatory requirements.
Classifications: Gas detector; gas monitor; gas detection instrument.
Classifications: Evacuation, escape and rescue; EER; escape and rescue.
Classifications: Fire protection; fire suppression; fire detection.
Classifications: Operating and work procedures.
Classifications: Risk assessment; hazard assessment.
Classifications: Upstream oil and gas; oil and gas extraction; upstream petroleum.
Classifications: Offshore installation; offshore platform; offshore rig.
Summary
The UK Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has prosecuted an oil company after it failed to provide written safety procedures for the depressurisation of an oil well, which led to the release of more than 1000 kg of hydrocarbon gas at the Beryl Alpha production installation in the North Sea, in June 2014.
IMCA SF 22/21. Themes: control of work, hydrocarbon release, process safety.