Introduction to Oil and Gas Operational

Safety
Why accidents and incidents
should be Investigated? why

1.An investigation should not be

used as a vehicle to apportion
blame for an accident or incident.
why
2. The risks and hazards should be identified
The legal reasons for investigation of
accidents and incidents
To demonstrate that the company is
meeting its legal requirement to
investigate accidents and incidents.
Persons who have been affected by an
accident may consider taking legal action
against the company as a result.
The legal reasons for investigation of
accidents and incidents
If needs be, a company can demonstrate to the courts their
commitment and positive attitude to health and safety by providing
evidence of a thorough investigation of an accident which subsequently
allowed them to take steps to put in place measures to prevent any
future recurrence.
Financial reasons for investigating accidents
and incidents
Information forthcoming from an accident investigation provided to an
insurance company may well assist in the event of a claim.

Investigating dangerous incidents and rectifying the cause, such as an

escape of flammable vapour, could prevent a recurrence with potential
catastrophic results, thus averting the cost of repairs and replacement
and lost revenue, as well as potentially saving lives and preventing
injuries.
Benefits of investigating accidents and
incidents
The outcomes of an investigation can result in the company putting
measures in place to prevent the recurrence of similar accidents or
incidents in the future.
The company can avoid business losses if they take heed of the
outcome of an investigation by preventing further accidents or
incidents.
The development of a health and safety culture within the company.
Following an investigation, any measures which are put in place as a
result of the findings will be more readily accepted by the workforce,
especially if they were involved in the decision- making process.
Benefits of investigating accidents and
incidents
Managerial skills will be developed
during any investigation and
these can be used in other
departments within the
organization.
Steps for Accidents/Incidents Investigation
There is a generally accepted four- stage process to
investigating accidents/incidents.
Step one – gathering the information
Step two – analysing the information
Step three – identifying the required risk control
measures
Step four – formulation of the action plan and its
implementation
Hazards inherent in oil and gas
There are many hazards inherent in the
oil and gas industry, and risk
assessments are conducted to ensure
that risk control measures are put in
place to prevent the realization of those
hazards and to maintain a safe working
environment.
Risk Management Techniques used in the Oil
and Gas Industrial.
Within the oil and gas industry there are inherent risks of
accidents occurring at any stage of the process – from
exploration through to the extraction, refining and final
delivery of the product. These risks include fire, explosion,
environmental contamination and injury to personnel.
In the oil and gas industry, those risks are generally
associated with all plant, equipment, products, processes
and systems of work, all of which have the potential to
cause harm.
There are a number of techniques available
when assessing risks, including:
1. The 5- step approach
2. Qualitative assessment techniques
3. Semi- quantitative assessment
techniques
4. Quantitative assessment techniques
5 step approach to risk Assessment
Step 1. Identify the hazards
Step 2. Decide who might be harmed and how
Step 3. Evaluate the risks and decide on
precautions
Step 4. Record the findings and implement them
Step 5. Review the assessment on a regular basis
and update if necessary
Hazards inherent in Oil and Gas
There are many hazards inherent in the
oil and gas industry, and risk
assessments are conducted to ensure
that risk control measures are put in
place to prevent the realization of those
hazards and to maintain a safe working
environment.
FLASH POINT
The flash point of a volatile liquid is the
lowest temperature at which it can vaporize
to form an ignitable mixture when mixed with
air.
Consequently, storing a fluid at a
temperature below its flash point is an
effective way of preventing ignitable vapours
from forming.
The characteristics of a vapour are described
using two terms. These are:
Vapour density:( Air has density of 1,methane
has a density 0.77, propane has a density of
2)
Consideration of vapour density is a vital
factor in deciding where to position gas
detection equipment, general ventilation
requirements, etc.
The characteristics of a vapour are described
using two terms. These are:
Vapour pressure:
When the energy within these molecules is
sufficient for those molecules to escape, they
do so in the form of a vapour.
The characteristics of a vapour are described
using two terms. These are:
Vapour pressure is measured in the standard
units of pressure known as pascal (Pa). 1
Pascal is 1 newton per square metre. The
greater the vapour pressure, the faster this
process takes place, which results in a greater
concentration of vapour.
A substance with a high vapour pressure at
normal temperatures is often referred to as
volatile.
 FLAMMABILITY
Vapour which is flammable presents the
risk of an explosion.
The degree of flammability can be
expressed as follows:
Flammable
Highly flammable
Extremely flammable
Flammable

This describes a product which is easily

ignitable and capable of burning rapidly. Note
that the word inflammable has the same
meaning as flammable.
In the UK a flammable liquid is defined as a
liquid that has a flash point of between 21°C
and 55°C. However, in the USA there is a
precise definition of flammable liquid as one
with a flash point below 100°F (37.8°C).
Highly flammable
This is describing a product which has a flash
point below 21°C but which is not defined as
extremely flammable.
Extremely flammable

This describes a product which has a

flash point lower than 0°C and a boiling
point of 35°C or lower.
Flammable Range
The lower flammable limit is the lowest
concentration of a gas or vapour in air
which is capable of being ignited.
The upper flammable limit is the highest
concentration of a gas or vapour in air
which is capable of being ignited.
Methane
For example, methane gas has a lower
flammable limit of 4.4 per cent and an
upper flammable limit of 15–17 per cent.
This is the particular flammable range of
methane gas, and at any point between
these two limits the atmosphere is
flammable.
RISK OF FIRE AND EXPLOSION
There is always a risk of fire and explosion in
an area which contains vapour within the
flammable range. It is vital, therefore, to
control the atmosphere to make sure that the
flammable range is not reached.
Purging (replacing)the air in storage tanks with
nitrogen is such a control. This is because
nitrogen is an inert gas (i.e. it will not burn).
 TOXICITY
Toxicity is used in two senses:
(a)To denote the capacity to cause harm to a
living organism
(b)To indicate the adverse effects caused by a
chemical. This information is available on
the Material Safety Data Sheet which
comes with any chemical.
 TOXICITY
i. Acute toxicity
ii. Chronic toxicity
Acute toxicity
Acute toxicity is a term which describes
the effect a substance has had on a
person after either a single exposure or
from several exposures within a short
space of time (e.g. 24 hours or less). An
example of this would be from radiation.
Chronic toxicity
Chronic toxicity is a term which
describes the effects a substance has
had on a person after many exposures
over a longer period of time (e.g. months
or years). An example of this would be
exposure to asbestos.
Skin irritant

The Occupational Health and Safety

Administration (OSHA) describes skin
irritant as ‘a chemical which is not
corrosive, but which causes a reversible
inflammatory effect on living tissue by
chemical action at the site of contact’.
Skin irritant
This means that the substance may
cause a local inflammatory reaction of
the skin exposed to it either immediately
after one exposure or from repeated
exposure. However, the inflammation is
reversible.
Skin irritant
The immediate reaction from strong
irritants is called acute irritant contact
dermatitis. On the other hand, it may
take a number of exposures over a longer
period of time for weak irritants to cause
a reaction. This is known as chronic
irritant contact dermatitis.