Risk-Based Asset Management: Global Implementation

Abstract

Abstract The pressure to operate safely in risk-sensitive industries such as oil and gas is always present, with many offshore drillers still struggling to define and practice effective safety-driven maintenance principles on a routine basis, given the dynamic and inherently dangerous nature of drilling. This has given rise to the concept of establishing line of sight between health, safety and environmental (HSE) assessments in the form of critical asset performance standards (CAPS) to link preventive maintenance to safety while aligning with global and regulatory standards. Working with leading offshore oil and gas drilling contractors, performance standards are created to reference the systems and controls in place used to mitigate the risk of major accident events (MAEs), monitor asset performance with critical operating parameters (COPs) and ensure compliance with regulatory driven requirements. Performance standards serve as the "Line of Sight" to link HSE cases and preventive maintenance (PM) procedures for safety and environmental critical equipment (SECE) on offshore oil and gas drilling units. Acceptance criteria and COPs are then referenced in the standards to designate which MAE control measures are in place with the goal to reduce the risk of a MAE to as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP). The maintenance tasks are then optimized to capture the key COPs for real-time operational analysis. Each performance standard provides the link between a comprehensive HSE case and applicable maintenance plans providing clearly defined acceptance standards allowing measuring, monitoring, trending, and appropriate corrective actions as necessary. Global variation can be effectively resolved and managed using the performance standards. Leveraging the pertinent information captured within a safety case, performance standards are developed and then implemented within preventive maintenance tasks through a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS). Combined with a formalized best practice review process, the CMMS is utilized to quantitatively analyze the effectiveness of the implementation of the performance standards. This paper will review actual global implementation efforts with leading drilling contractors for the oil and gas industry to show how the development of performance standards provides the baseline for operational excellence. By making this information accessible, the process can be continuously refined and applied throughout the drilling community to provide a safer and more productive environment.