|
Asset Integrity
Maintaining hardware to be safe, reliable and
efficient is not only essential to manage the major accidents hazards the
industry faces but it also plays a vital part in creating a physical
environment people can be proud to work in. Creating this environment is
one of the key strategies required to create an incident free workplace.
Key
Performance Indicators
A
workgroup was established in 2005 to determine if a set of industry wide KPI’s could be agreed with a view to benchmarking
performance to assess asset integrity and
promote improvement.
Three broad concepts were identified which met specific criteria
and workgroups were established to investigate the forward options on:
- hydrocarbon releases
- verification non-compliance issues
- safety critical backlog
HSE
Key Programme 3
The offshore oil and gas industry on the UK
Continental Shelf (UKCS) is a mature production area. Much of the offshore infrastructure is
at, or has exceeded, its intended design life. Between 2000 and 2004, HSE’s Offshore Division (OSD) ran a major programme KP1 aimed at reducing hydrocarbon releases
and focusing on the integrity of process plant. This resulted in a
considerable reduction in the number of major and significant hydrocarbon
releases. During this time,
however, Offshore Division became increasingly concerned about an
apparent general decline in the condition of fabric and plant on some installations
and responded with Key Programme
3 (KP3) directed more widely at asset integrity.
Step
Change in Safety
Step Change in Safety is the UK based partnership
with the remit to make the UK
the safest Oil and Gas Exploration and Production province in the world
by 2010.
Asset
integrity is a vital part of a safe, sustainable industry, and involves
maintaining hardware to be safe, reliable and efficient. With the ageing
infrastructure and limited resources in the North
Sea, maintaining asset integrity is a challenge Oil &
Gas UK and the Industry take seriously, and are working with Step Change
in Safety towards continued improvements in this area.
|
