Health Risk Assessment As Input To Design.
Authors: Throndsen Thor Inge 
Published: February 2016

The paper will give an overview of how health risk assessment as input to design can contribute to better and safer work places with low health risk. This is based on the current practice in the Norwegian petroleum industry, focusing on health risk assessment and challenges in the working environment from the early design phases. Furthermore the paper describes how possible health risk and future working environment conditions at the plant during operations are assessed systematically during design and construction.

Experience from operational activities and development projects are used to reduce risk and create safer and more efficient solutions. The methods used are based on company standards, national and international standards and authority regulations.

The paper will give a summary of the engineering practices and tools used in Statoil ASA1.

The following issues will be addressed:Some facts about the Norwegian Offshore petroleum industry.Requirements to Health Risk AssessmentUse of standards and company requirements to the working environmentAn integrated follow-up during project developmentExperience from recent projects covering offshore field development and onshore LNG plant.

1. Introduction

There is a strong focus on HSE matters in the oil and gas industry today and attention to indicators that measure our results. Safety and environmental issues related to prevention of major accidents gain the highest attention internally and from the media, but the focus on the employees' health is equally important and there are recent examples on how this focus has increased, especially related to chemical health risk. In our company we have a philosophy that zero harm to people is possible. We have still not reached this level, but we work towards this goal to control the health risk and avoid negative health effects, injuries, diseases, chronic diseases and death.

2. Some facts about the Norwegian offshore petroleum industry

The oil and gas industry is the single most important industry in Norway and it has a high attention from the authorities also with respect to HSE results. The upstream activities are offshore based and field development on the Norwegian continental shelf started in the early 1970ties. The authorities have been aware of the importance of developing Norwegian expertise within all areas. Severe weather conditions were demanding advanced technological solutions and a strong focus on safety (HSE).

The petroleum industry today has a very good reputation and record, despite some tragic accidents, severe incidents and a working environment which may represent risk of considerable exposure to noise, chemicals and heavy manual handling. In fact the offshore oil and gas industry has a considerable better HSE performance than the land-based industry in Norway.

A worker protection act2 was launched in Norway in 1977 and was made valid offshore from 1979. It was a modern act with functional and goal setting requirements. The objectives of the Act are;to secure a working environment which affords the employees full safety against harmful physical and mental influences and which has safety, occupational health and welfare standards that are concurrent with the techno­logical and social development of society at any time,to secure sound employment conditions and meaningful work situation for the individual employee,to provide a basis whereby the enterprises themselves can solve their working environment problems in co-operation with the organizations of employers and employees and with control and guidance from public authorities.