Design of an Emergency Response Center

Abstract

Summary This paper describes the design of BP Exploration's Emergency Centre in Aberdeen. It reviews human factors considered to reduce stress, room functionality, communications, and information technology. It also describes the working emergency-response organization. Introduction BP first established a room dedicated to emergency response in 1976, following a fatal accident involving a helicopter in the Forties oil field. People dealing with the accident felt the direct impact of the media for People dealing with the accident felt the direct impact of the media for the first time. The main telephone switchboard rapidly became saturated with calls, making it extremely difficult to summon emergency support. Many key lessons were learned from that accident; the first was the need for a room dedicated to emergency response. So BP built and equipped a new room in its operation control center, which became known as the Emergency Control Room. An adjacent equipment room housed a telephone exchange that was independent of the company's telephone exchange, which facilitated group calls and direct communication with the company's offshore installations. The accident also showed how important it is to record as much information as possible during an emergency. Previous experience showed the need for a team with disparate skills during Previous experience showed the need for a team with disparate skills during emergencies. The wide variety of emergencies possible in the North Sea requires a multidiscipline team on permanent standby. The initial call broadcast to this team failed because of technical problems at a local paging company. A paging service under our direct control resolved the paging company. A paging service under our direct control resolved the problem. problem. The way that teams react during emergencies varies. Delayed actions or messages can cost lives. A system of checklists, known as "Prompt," can resolve this problem. Prompt provides a checklist for team activities; individual prompts also exist for each team member. Prompt initially consisted of a sequence of 35-mm color slides controlled Prompt initially consisted of a sequence of 35-mm color slides controlled from a numeric key pad by the manager. A large central screen displayed actions that the team needed to complete during an emergency. An emergency coordinator regularly updated slides after accidents and exercises to give feedback on any lessons learned. However, this process could take 3 weeks. A computerized Prompt allows system update within minutes. The new Emergency Response Centre meets several requirements.A room dedicated to emergencies.Separate installation of equipment and facilities.A multidiscipline response team on permanent standby.A call-out service.Team communication facilities.Prepared checklists.Emergency records.Examination of team performance after an accident.An emergency coordinator.Up-to-date information.