Health and Safety
Executive
HSE’s Ageing and Life Extension Key
Programme (KP4) and Human Factors
Peter Fearnley, Energy Division - Offshore
KP4 website: www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/ageing.htm
……..Covering…….
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Why?
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Ageing and Life Extension
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Equipment, Systems and People
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What can I do, what can I ask
Why?
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UKCS operates a Safety Case Regime
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*There are proper arrangements in place for an
independent audit of the systems (?)*
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The systems are complex and need all our attention
to remain effective
The Safety Case describes measures in place
reducing major accident risks to people to the lowest
reasonable level
Why?
Facilities
& Equipment
To be safe all 3 have to
work well, together
People
Fitness
Competence
Morale/Trust
Perception
Behaviour
Design
Work Environment
Maintenance
Reliability
Demand
Systems
Hazard identification
Risk assessment
Management Commitment
Procedures, Training
Incident investigation
Monitoring
Change
Learning
Why?
Ageing and Life Extension
Systems
Facilities &
Equipment
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Design
Work Environment
Maintenance
Reliability
Demand
People
Hazard identification
Risk assessment
Management Commitment
Procedures, Training
Incident investigation
Monitoring
Change
Learning
History of Development
Fitness
Competence
Morale/Trust
Perception
Behaviour
WHAT ARE AGEING & LIFE EXTENSION?
AGEING
“Ageing is not about how old your
equipment is; it’s about what you know
about its condition, and how that’s
changing over time”
Across the European
Union’s hazardous
industries ageing is
implicated in:
Condition Management is the key
LIFE EXTENSION
• When assets exceed design life = Life
Extension phase
• Half UKCS production platforms in LE
phase
• Some platforms anticipate 50-70 years
production
• Plus 5-10 years to removal from sea bed
30% of incidents
28% of loss of containment
What Is ALE?
It’s All About Managing Ageing
Forth Rail Bridge
•Opened 4th March 1890 (~123 years old)
•Robust structure
•200 trains per day
•Continuous painting programme
What Is ALE?
It’s All About Managing Ageing
Forth Road Bridge
•Opened 4th September 1964 (~48 years old)
•Highly engineered structure
•32 000 vehicles per day
•IM programme didn’t identify cable corrosion risk
•2003: numerous wire strands in suspension cables found to be corroded and failed
•Weight restrictions applied
•Needs replacing ~£1.4 Billion
WHAT IS KP4?
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Raising awareness of consequences of ALE
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Obsolescence management
Understanding & forecasting degradation mechanisms
& rates of Safety Critical Elements
Sharing ALE knowledge for the benefit of all
Working with industry for a common goal
Reducing Hydrocarbon Releases
*MAINTAINING AND IMPROVING SAFETY*
WHAT HAS KP4 COVERED?
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Process Safety, Fire and Explosion
Structures
Marine
Mechanical and Corrosion
Electrical, Control and Instrumentation
Pipelines
Human and Organisational Factors
HYDROCARBON LEAKS:
EQUIPMENT, SYSTEMS, PEOPLE
Norwegian study found:
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60% of leaks due to human interventions;
– key issues:
• failure to check pre and post-work isolations
and integrity;
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Technical degradation caused ~21% of HC leaks
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100% management system failure?
No relationship between age and leak frequency –
condition management!
Equipment, Systems, People
EQUIPMENT, PEOPLE AND SYSTEM ISSUES
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When equipment doesn’t work as designed (ALE),
carry out risk assessment
Risk Perception & Assessment
– HSE still finding problems with Operational Risk
Assessments (ORA) – risk assessment can be too
difficult
– Failures identifying and addressing MAH risks, see ORA
guidance rolled out by OGUK
– Clear procedures guiding correct thought process, e.g.
ORA default should be shut-down unless there are good
reasons to continue operations
WORKFORCE INVOLVEMENT IN ALE
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Need to equip people at all levels of the organisation
with the right skills to recognise and respond to risk
– Hazard awareness, assessment & anticipation
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Need to understand and actively manage the factors
that influence human performance, e.g. operating wrong
valve, not following a procedure
– Distractions, badly written procedures, poor
communication, lack of feedback
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Need to develop a culture where ‘speaking up about
concerns’ is managed appropriately
– acceptable for ‘bad news’ to travel up the line
What Can I Do, What Can I Ask?
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Getting ALE and People (HF) issues right requires
a focus – where is it in your organisation?
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Does your organisation have an ALE policy?
How well are they doing?
What are they planning to improve?
Are you clear what your part is in this?
What Can I Do, What Can I Ask?
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Does your organisation have a clear approach
to dealing with people issues/human factors?
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Do you see it worked out in incident and nearmiss investigations?
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Are the reasons for mistakes understood and
does this make a difference to the way
jobs/tasks are planned and carried out?
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Are audits, monitoring and other learning seen
as vital to stopping incidents before they
happen?