HSE-FPSO

On an FPSO, hundreds of people are confined out at sea on a huge, floating refinery, with almost
two million barrels of oil stored under their feet. This is an extraordinary situation

Although FPSOs are becoming more common, operational safety performance may still be
considered somewhat unproven, especially when compared to fixed installations. Furthermore,
floating installations are more dependent on continued operation of some of the marine control
systems, during a critical situation. There is accordingly a need to understand the aspects of
operational safety for FPSOs, in order to enable a proactive approach to safety, particularly in the
following areas:

· Turret operations and flexible risers

· Simultaneous marine and production activities

· Vessel movement/weather exposure

· Production, ballasting and offloading

How are risks monitored?

A centralized management system gives us an overview of the main risks and the integrity of the
installations. Monitoring is based on "control" and "predictive" safety indicators and defined
objectives. A methodology enables supervisory staff to maintain risk at a level that is ALARP (As Low
as Reasonably Practicable), in the event of untimely failure of a critical safety-related system, until
normal service is resumed.

Operational safety management is also based on the systematic maintenance of the FPSO
installation, as well as the implementation of an inspection and maintenance plan and regular
testing of critical safety systems. This approach enables us to anticipate the deviations of certain
components and to take corrective action. Routine maintenance is carried out directly by teams on
board the FPSO. Major maintenance campaigns are also planned with the involvement of specific
teams.

What safety training do employees get?

Each person working on site receives mandatory safety training, supplemented by more specific
modules depending on their role on board. A signed work permit is required for any task that needs
doing on an FPSO. It precisely describes the measures to take and the resources available to make
the operations safe. Employees familiarize themselves with it before they start work. This systematic
education is, in our opinion, fundamental to awareness and prevention.
Despite the implementation of proven safety engineering rules and careful management of critical
systems, accidents can still happen. It is therefore important to have effective emergency plans in
place. Their aim is to minimize the potential consequences of a major event. Their organization and
their implementation are established based on the main representative scenarios of major events,
identified beforehand by a Technological Risk Assessment (TRA).

Weekly on-board drills are organized with realistic simulations in order to test the teams and the
equipment, and of course to ensure efficiency should a major event occur. These drills are like role
plays, with pre-established training scenarios. Every year, large-scale drills are also conducted at the
subsidiary level. These test the effectiveness of the emergency plans on a large scale and detect
anything that might have been overlooked