Guidelines for the management of

safety critical elements

2nd edition

An IP Publication

Published by the Energy Institute

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GUIDELINES FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF
SAFETY CRITICAL ELEMENTS

Second edition

March 2007
 GUIDELINES FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF
SAFETY CRITICAL ELEMENTS

Second edition

March 2007

Published by
ENERGY INSTITUTE, LONDON
The Energy Institute is a professional membership body incorporated by Royal Charter 2003
Registered charity number 1097899
Endorsed by
The United Kingdom Offshore Operators Association and the HSE Offshore Safety Division
The Energy Institute gratefully acknowledges the financial contributions towards the scientific and
technical programme from the following companies:

BG Group Murco Petroleum Ltd

BHP Billiton Limited Nexen
BP Exploration Operating Co Ltd Saudi Aramco
BP Oil UK Ltd Shell UK Oil Products Limited
Chevron Shell U.K. Exploration and Production Ltd
ConocoPhillips Ltd Statoil (U.K.) Limited
ENI Talisman Energy (UK) Ltd
ExxonMobil International Ltd Total E&P UK plc
Kuwait Petroleum International Ltd Total UK Limited
Maersk Oil North Sea UK Limited

Copyright 2007 by the Energy Institute, London:

The Energy Institute is a professional membership body incorporated by Royal Charter 2003.
Registered charity number 1097899, England
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ISBN 978 0 85293 462 3

Published by the Energy Institute

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 CONTENTS

Page

Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii

Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii

1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

2 Background to the revision of Guidelines for the management of safety critical elements . . . . . . . . . . . 3

3 Applicable legislation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

4 Definitions and key concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

4.1 Safety critical elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
4.2 Major accidents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
4.3 Performance standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
4.4 Verification schemes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
4.5 Independent competent persons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

5 Identification of SCEs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

6 Development of Performance Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

7 Assurance of SCE integrity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

8 Verification throughout the asset life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

8.1 Overview of verification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
8.2 Verification in the concept, feed, design, construction and commissioning phases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
8.3 In-service verification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
8.4 Decommissioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

9 Change management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
9.1 Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
9.2 Temporary equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

10 References and glossary of terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

v
vi
 FOREWORD

In 2005, the UKOOA led Installation Integrity Working Group (IIWG) requested that the Energy Institute manage
the review and revision of the UKOOA Guidelines for the management of safety critical elements, first issued in
September 1996. This project required the formation of a separate (sub) Working Group from the parent IIWG
members.

The revision exercise was part of a programme of work undertaken by the IIWG which included development and
promotion of industry good practices and suitable performance measures. A principal deliverable of this Working
Group was the Asset Integrity Tool Kit, which includes an Assurance and Verification Tool outlining the
requirement for identification, assurance and verification of Performance Standards for Safety Critical Elements.
These Guidelines are therefore considered as providing valuable input for this element of the management of
installation integrity.

It is intended that these Guidelines should provide good practice for the management of safety critical elements for
offshore installations and will be of use principally for those involved in assurance and verification. The document
should also provide a useful guide for duty holders, managers of operations, safety, engineering and maintenance
functions, and an initial introduction for those who wish to become involved in the subject.

This document has been compiled as guidance only and while every reasonable care has been taken to ensure the
accuracy and relevance of its contents, the Energy Institute, its sponsoring companies, the document writer and the
Working Group members listed in the Acknowledgements who have contributed to its preparation, cannot accept
any responsibility for any action taken, or not taken, on the basis of this information. The Energy Institute shall not
be liable to any person for any loss or damage which may arise from the use of any of the information contained in
any of its publications.

These Guidelines will be reviewed in future and it would be of considerable assistance for any subsequent revision
if users would send comments or suggestions for improvements to:

The Technical Department,

Energy Institute,
61 New Cavandish Street,
London
W1G 7AR

e: technical@energyinst.org.uk

vii
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Institute wishes to record its appreciation of the work carried out by the following individuals:

Tim Walsh of Lloyds Register EMEA, for the drafting of this document.

Members of the Joint Industry Working Group, which was set up to steer the re-drafting programme and who have
provided valuable expertise:

Keith Hart Energy Institute (Manager and Chairman)

Lee Broadley Talisman Energy Ltd
Simon Brown HSE OSD
Bernard Emery HSE OSD
Peter Griffiths HSE OSD
Paul Kefford Chevron
Bob Kyle UKOOA
Alex Macleod Lloyds Register EMEA
Bill McKenzie BP Operating Company Ltd
Alan Richardson HSE OSD
Ian Wright DNV

Assistance was also provided by:

Garry Mannett BV
Richard McCabe BV
Phil Rothie BV
Ruth White DNV

The Institute also wishes to recognise the contribution made by those who have provided comments on the Draft
document which was issued during an industry consultation period.

viii
 1
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this document is to provide industry
guidance for the management of Safety Critical
Elements (SCEs) on offshore installations operating on
the UK continental shelf. SCEs are the equipment and
systems which provide the basis to manage the risks
associated with Major Accident Hazards (MAHs). This
document should be read in conjunction with the
Offshore Installations (Safety Case) Guidelines. This
publication replaces that of the same title produced by
the UK Offshore Operators Association (UKOOA) in
1996.
The starting point for this guidance is a review of
the applicable legislation and a summary of the key
concepts underpinning the management of SCEs. The
document then describes the process by which SCEs are
identified and performance standards set. The process of
verification is central to ensuring that the integrity of
SCEs is maintained and guidance is provided for the
management of verification throughout the various
stages of the asset lifecycle. The document also deals
with the management of change in relation to SCEs and
concludes by identifying sources of further information
including good practice and FAQs.
This document is aimed at all those who have an
interest and/or involvement in the management of SCEs,
particularly those responsible for the management of
technical and operational activities within, or on behalf
of, duty holders.