An Overarching Strategy for Safety Critical Elements Assessment and Management

Abstract

Abstract Recent well known major accidents occurred in the Oil and Gas sector and their consequences on companies’ reputation and public image have dramatically confirmed that asset integrity enhanced safety performance and effective management of increased environmental risks remain one of the key challenges facing the industry today. Investigation reports prove that Major Accidents typically materialize as a result of a combination of failures in processes, plant integrity and human behaviors. Processes, people and plant can be regarded as ‘barriers’ between the hazard and an incident. If they are all present and flawless, they can prevent a hazard becoming an incident. Barriers which prevent Major Accident Hazards becoming accidents are called Safety Critical Elements. Safety-critical elements (SCE) are defined as any parts of an installation (physical or non-physical elements), plant or computer programs whose failure will either cause or contribute substantially to a major accident, or the purpose of which is to prevent, or limit the effect of a major accident hazard (MAH). SCEs are thus generally designed to Prevent Detect Control Mitigate Rescue and Recover This paper present the overarching strategy adopted and the requirements set out within our company for effective Management of Safety Critical elements. The process by which SCEs are identified and performance standards set is fully described along with the strategy for their implementation within the company assets. The document also describes the verification scheme which is crucial to ensure that the integrity of SCEs is maintained and guidance is provided for the management of verification throughout the various stages of the asset lifecycle; it also deals with the management of change in relation to SCEs. The paper concludes with considerations on the correct identification of roles and responsibilities for identification of safety critical systems, and the production, review and implementation of their Performance Standards during the whole asset life cycle: at the design stage for new facilities, or major modifications to existing facilities, until handover to the operating organization takes place; and at the operations stage.