Safety in the design of offshore platforms: Integrated safety versus safety as an add-on characteristic

Abstract

The Norwegian offshore industry has established considerable experience and know-how in preventing accidents through design. This paper analysis the principles used by this industry during the different phases of design from two different perspectives. The first is human centred and the focus is here on the design of work places to allow the operators at the sharp end to function in an optimal way to minimise human errors and mitigate disturbances. The second “energy barrier” perspective aims at providing technical safety functions on the platform that intervene in the accident path to minimise loss. Accident and incident statistics show that the barrier perspective has been implemented in design to prevent fires and explosions with considerable achievements, whereas its application in occupational accident prevention is more arbitrary. Design of fire and explosion barriers fits well with the current engineering skills and work-processes in investment projects. The implementation of a systematic human-centred design approach is of a more recent date. It has proved to be more demanding and the merits have been more difficult to demonstrate. The implications for the organisation and management of the design process are discussed.