(81e) Exploration of Offshore Safety Case with An Example

To increase safety for deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), the U.S. Department of the Interior recommended establishing a safety case regime in May 2010, and the International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC) is developing U.S. Guidance on HSE Case Bridging Documents. Therefore, the offshore industry should be ready to comply with this forthcoming guidance/rule. It is essential to understand offshore safety case concept and document.

Safety Case is a documentary proof, which is to be submitted by the operator to the Regulatory Bodies to demonstrate that the hazards in the offshore installation have been identified, risks assessed and the adequate resources and the control measures are in place for safe operations. In view of forthcoming safety case guidance/rule, this paper discusses the objectives of safety cases, the typical contents of safety cases, offshore major hazards, safety management system and the formal safety assessments. A safety case for a floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) is used as an example to demonstrate how to develop an offshore safety case. It ensures that

? Major health and safety hazards associated with FPSO's operations have been identified and their risks have been evaluated. ? The controls, mitigation and recovery measures that have been put in place to manage these hazards are appropriate and adequate. ? Risks have been reduced to As Low As Reasonably Practicable (ALARP)

Keywords: offshore safety case, FPSO, risk assessment, major hazards

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