Modernizing the U.S. Offshore Oil and Gas Inspection Program for Increased Agility and Safety Vigilance

Modernizing the U.S. Offshore Oil and Gas Inspection Program for Increased Agility and Safety Vigilance PDF Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (U.S.). Committee for a Review and Update of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement Offshore Oil and Gas Operations Inspection Program
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780309374651
Category : Industrial safety
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), in seeking to augment and improve its offshore oil and gas inspection program, should focus less on inspecting all oil platforms and become more outcome-based by focusing on the riskiest entities. These are among the findings in TRB Special Report 338: Modernizing the U.S. Offshore Oil and Gas Inspection Program for Increased Agility and Safety Vigilance, from the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Given the expectation that it inspect each offshore facility at least once per year, BSEE faces many challenges as it seeks to fulfill its stated mission "to promote safety, protect the environment, and conserve resources through vigorous regulatory oversight." Although BSEE has taken a number of initiatives to meet these challenges, it faces many constraints and will need to make many strategic-level choices to innovate and evolve its inspection program to keep pace with the continually changing offshore energy landscape

Modernizing the U.S. Offshore Oil and Gas Inspection Program for Increased Agility and Safety Vigilance

Modernizing the U.S. Offshore Oil and Gas Inspection Program for Increased Agility and Safety Vigilance PDF Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (U.S.). Committee for a Review and Update of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement Offshore Oil and Gas Operations Inspection Program
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780309374651
Category : Industrial safety
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book Here

Book Description
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), in seeking to augment and improve its offshore oil and gas inspection program, should focus less on inspecting all oil platforms and become more outcome-based by focusing on the riskiest entities. These are among the findings in TRB Special Report 338: Modernizing the U.S. Offshore Oil and Gas Inspection Program for Increased Agility and Safety Vigilance, from the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Given the expectation that it inspect each offshore facility at least once per year, BSEE faces many challenges as it seeks to fulfill its stated mission "to promote safety, protect the environment, and conserve resources through vigorous regulatory oversight." Although BSEE has taken a number of initiatives to meet these challenges, it faces many constraints and will need to make many strategic-level choices to innovate and evolve its inspection program to keep pace with the continually changing offshore energy landscape

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Offshore Safety and Environmental Management Systems

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Offshore Safety and Environmental Management Systems PDF Author: United States. Committee on the Effectiveness of Safety and Environmental Management Systems for Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Operations
Publisher: Transportation Research Board National Research
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 140

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Book Description
This report recommends that the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) take a holistic approach to evaluating the effectiveness offshore oil and the Safety and Environmental Management Systems (SEMS) programs of gas industry operators. According to the report, this approach should, at a minimum, include inspections, audits by the operator and BSEE, key performance indicators, and a whistleblower program. SEMS is a safety management system (SMS) aimed at shifting from a completely prescriptive regulatory approach to one that is proactive, risk based, and goal oriented in an attempt to improve safety and reduce the likelihood that events similar to the April 2010 Macondo incident will reoccur. According to the committee that produced the report, it is not possible for a regulator to create a culture of safety in an organization by inspection or audit; that culture needs to come from within the organization. To be successful, the tenets of SEMS must be fully acknowledged and accepted by workers, motivated from the top, and supported throughout the organization and must drive worker actions. The report also notes that BSEE can encourage and aid industry in development of a culture of safety by the way it measures and enforces SEMS. The committee believes BSEE should seize this opportunity to make a step change in safety culture by adopting a goal based holistic approach to evaluating the effectiveness of SEMS programs. In recommending a holistic approach to evaluating the effectiveness of SEMS programs, the report explores in detail the role of SEMS in helping to develop a culture of safety, highlights the pros and cons of various methods of assessing the effectiveness of a SEMS program, and investigates existing approaches for assessing the SMS programs of various U.S. and international regulatory agencies whose safety mandates are similar to that of BSEE.

The Human Factors of Process Safety and Worker Empowerment in the Offshore Oil Industry

The Human Factors of Process Safety and Worker Empowerment in the Offshore Oil Industry PDF Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309473373
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 119

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Book Description
Since the 2010 Deepwater Horizon blowout and oil spill, efforts to improve safety in the offshore oil industry have resulted in the adoption of new technological controls, increased promotion of safety culture, and the adoption of new data collection systems to improve both safety and performance. As an essential element of a positive safety culture, operators and regulators are increasingly integrating strategies that empower workers to participate in process safety decisions that reduce hazards and improve safety. While the human factors of personal safety have been widely studied and widely adopted in many high-risk industries, process safety â€" the application of engineering, design, and operative practices to address major hazard concerns â€" is less well understood from a human factors perspective, particularly in the offshore oil industry. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine organized a workshop in January 2018 to explore best practices and lessons learned from other high-risk, high-reliability industries for the benefit of the research community and of citizens, industry practitioners, decision makers, and officials addressing safety in the offshore oil industry. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.

Best Available and Safest Technologies for Offshore Oil and Gas Operations

Best Available and Safest Technologies for Offshore Oil and Gas Operations PDF Author: National Academy Of Engineering
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780309294270
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The nation turns to the National Academies-National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council-for independent, objective advice on issues that affect people's lives worldwide. Book jacket.

Double-Hull Tanker Legislation

Double-Hull Tanker Legislation PDF Author: Marine Board
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309518288
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 286

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Book Description
The passage of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90) by Congress and subsequent modifications of international maritime regulations resulted in a far-reaching change in the design of tank vessels. Double-hull rather than single-hull tankers are now the industry standard, and nearly all ships in the world maritime oil transportation fleet are expected to have double hulls by about 2020. This book assesses the impact of the double hull and related provisions of OPA 90 on ship safety, protection of the marine environment, and the economic viability and operational makeup of the maritime oil transportation industry. The influence of international conventions on tank vessel design and operation is addressed. Owners and operators of domestic and international tank vessel fleets, shipyard operators, marine architects, classification societies, environmentalists, and state and federal regulators will find this book useful.

Offshore Oil and Gas

Offshore Oil and Gas PDF Author: United States. General Accounting Office
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Offshore structures
Languages : en
Pages : 52

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Book Description


Strengthening the Safety Culture of the Offshore Oil and Gas Industry

Strengthening the Safety Culture of the Offshore Oil and Gas Industry PDF Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (U.S.). Committee on U.S. Offshore Oil and Gas Industry Safety Culture
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Industrial safety
Languages : en
Pages : 223

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Book Description
"TRB Special Report 321: Strengthening the Safety Culture of the Offshore Oil and Gas Industry offers recommendations to industry and regulators to strengthen and sustain the safety culture of the offshore oil and gas industry. The committee that prepared the report addresses conceptual challenges in defining safety culture and discusses the empirical support for the definition of safety culture offered by the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, the nine characteristics or elements of a robust safety culture, methods for assessing company safety culture, and barriers to improving safety culture in the offshore industry. The committee's report also identifies topics on which further research is needed with respect to assessing, improving, and sustaining safety culture"--Provided by publisher.

Alternatives for Inspecting Outer Continental Shelf Operations

Alternatives for Inspecting Outer Continental Shelf Operations PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 126

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Book Description
Aggressive, effective safety inspection programs are key elements to ensuring that oil- and gas-producing platform operations on the outer continental shelf are conducted in a safe and environmentally sound manner. Although the oil and gas leaseholders themselves are primarily responsible for the soundness of their operations, the Minerals Management Service (MMS) of the Department of the Interior is charged with prescribing safe practices and inspecting platforms. In response to an MMS request, this book examines possible revisions of MMS's inspection system, appraises inspection practices elsewhereâ€"both in government and industryâ€"assesses the advantages and disadvantages of alternative procedures, and recommends potentially more efficient practices aimed at increasing industry's awareness of its accountability for safety.

Macondo Well Deepwater Horizon Blowout

Macondo Well Deepwater Horizon Blowout PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309221412
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 236

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Book Description
The blowout of the Macondo well on April 20, 2010, led to enormous consequences for the individuals involved in the drilling operations, and for their families. Eleven workers on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig lost their lives and 16 others were seriously injured. There were also enormous consequences for the companies involved in the drilling operations, to the Gulf of Mexico environment, and to the economy of the region and beyond. The flow continued for nearly 3 months before the well could be completely killed, during which time, nearly 5 million barrels of oil spilled into the gulf. Macondo Well-Deepwater Horizon Blowout examines the causes of the blowout and provides a series of recommendations, for both the oil and gas industry and government regulators, intended to reduce the likelihood and impact of any future losses of well control during offshore drilling. According to this report, companies involved in offshore drilling should take a "system safety" approach to anticipating and managing possible dangers at every level of operation-from ensuring the integrity of wells to designing blowout preventers that function under all foreseeable conditions-in order to reduce the risk of another accident as catastrophic as the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill. In addition, an enhanced regulatory approach should combine strong industry safety goals with mandatory oversight at critical points during drilling operations. Macondo Well-Deepwater Horizon Blowout discusses ultimate responsibility and accountability for well integrity and safety of offshore equipment, formal system safety education and training of personnel engaged in offshore drilling, and guidelines that should be established so that well designs incorporate protection against the various credible risks associated with the drilling and abandonment process. This book will be of interest to professionals in the oil and gas industry, government decision makers, environmental advocacy groups, and others who seek an understanding of the processes involved in order to ensure safety in undertakings of this nature.

Enhancing the Resilience of the Nation's Electricity System

Enhancing the Resilience of the Nation's Electricity System PDF Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309463076
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 171

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Book Description
Americans' safety, productivity, comfort, and convenience depend on the reliable supply of electric power. The electric power system is a complex "cyber-physical" system composed of a network of millions of components spread out across the continent. These components are owned, operated, and regulated by thousands of different entities. Power system operators work hard to assure safe and reliable service, but large outages occasionally happen. Given the nature of the system, there is simply no way that outages can be completely avoided, no matter how much time and money is devoted to such an effort. The system's reliability and resilience can be improved but never made perfect. Thus, system owners, operators, and regulators must prioritize their investments based on potential benefits. Enhancing the Resilience of the Nation's Electricity System focuses on identifying, developing, and implementing strategies to increase the power system's resilience in the face of events that can cause large-area, long-duration outages: blackouts that extend over multiple service areas and last several days or longer. Resilience is not just about lessening the likelihood that these outages will occur. It is also about limiting the scope and impact of outages when they do occur, restoring power rapidly afterwards, and learning from these experiences to better deal with events in the future.