A Novel Approach to Prevent Process Safety Incidents by Integrating & Strengthening Process Safety Barriers & Operational Excellence Frameworks in Upstream & Downstream Segments of Oil & Gas Operations
Authors: Tayab Muhammad , Awan Zubair , Shah Vishal , Saif Abdulla , Al Hameli Fatima 
Published: October 2022

Oil & Gas industries are continuously striving to increase production capacities, achieving cost efficiencies, and venturing in technically challenging areas to maintain their respective market shares. Efficiency in Upstream operations with reduction in production costs, with high focus on safety and asset integrity remains a challenge. Similarly stretching the margin of refined barrel of oil, expanding petrochemical production, developing new high value products to meet growing demand and increasing refining capacity drives operation excellence in downstream operations. Operations of aged faculties in harsh environmental conditions creates challenging operating conditions for any Oil & Gas operator.

In the Oil and Gas industry, both onshore and offshore, there are large amounts of hazardous chemicals on drilling or production sites and major incidents resulting in loss of primary containments (LoPC) in Oil & Gas industries from both Upstream & Downstream segments has enhanced focus on asset integrity, process safety and operational excellence. Several types of processes, in the oil and gas industry, have the potential for chemical releases and associated fire, safety, and health hazards due to the nature of these releases. These losses may result in asset damage, occupational injuries, environmental impact, and loss of production and or company reputation.

Process safety is a combination of engineering and management controls aimed to prevent catastrophic incidents and near misses, such as structural collapse/damage, fire & explosions, releases of energy or hazardous substances such as chemicals and petroleum products. All such failures were subjected to incident investigation process, aimed to identify root causes of the event and recommending corrective actions to prevent recurrence of such events in future. A critical review of over Fifty (50) process safety events (PSE), both in Upstream and Downstream segments, was undertaken and findings & causes of these events were mapped with Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS) Process Safety Elements & Pillars to assess the strength of process safety barriers.

Data indicates that Inadequate Identification of Worksite/Job Hazards (under category of Management Supervision/ Employee Leadership) was the topmost root cause of process safety incidents representing 26% of all root causes. It represented inadequacies in task risk assessment where a particular risk was not identified or identified risk was not effectively controlled. Approximately half (55%) of incident causes were under themes of Hazard Identification & Risk Analysis, Auditing, Asset Integrity and Reliability. This novel approach to prevent process safety incidents by integrating & strengthening process safety & operation excellence frameworks in Upstream & Downstream segments of Oil & Gas operations will be assist in preventing incidents and is adaptable by other operators and companies.