WATCHING THE WORLD CURE FOR AUDIT FATIGUE

With David Knott from London One result of the Cullen Report of 1990, which presented the findings of an inquiry into the Piper Alpha platform explosion of 1988, has been an increase in the number of safety audits on drilling rigs operating in the U.K. North Sea. "The problem for the drilling industry is that there is no single standard accepted by operators, contractors, and safety authorities," said Douglas Hay, managing director of Aberdeen Drilling Consultants Ltd. "The result is that

Sept. 6, 1993

3 min read

One result of the Cullen Report of 1990, which presented the findings of an inquiry into the Piper Alpha platform explosion of 1988, has been an increase in the number of safety audits on drilling rigs operating in the U.K. North Sea.

"The problem for the drilling industry is that there is no single standard accepted by operators, contractors, and safety authorities," said Douglas Hay, managing director of Aberdeen Drilling Consultants Ltd. "The result is that contractors feel they are being audited to death."

Hay's company carries out technical and safety management audits at the request of operators and contractors. The Cullen Report's recommendation that each offshore installation have its own safety management document spawned an industry for safety management audits.

TYPICAL AUDIT

A typical audit involves an initial study of safety manuals and work records of a contractor's shore-based operations, along with interviews to assess the corporate safety philosophy-or lack of one. "If there is little safety structure onshore, there is certain to be less offshore," Hay said.

If the shore-based audit is satisfactory the auditor reviews the rig's safety management documents, prepares a check list, and flies out to the rig to sample records keeping and safety procedures.

In a sector where short term contracts are the norm, a recent request by Shell U.K. Exploration & Production for an audit on the Henry Goodrich semisubmersible rig stands out.

The rig is under long term charter from Sonat Offshore (U.K.) Inc., Aberdeen. The audit brief involved identification of common ground between the safety management of Shell and Sonat so duplication could be avoided.

"Integration of operators and contractors is a hot topic," said Dick Curtis, safety director at Sonat. "Independent audits are worthwhile from both sides, since they can pick up items that the operator and contractor might miss during a long-term contract."

COMMON GROUND

Hay is keen to develop such common ground between operators and contractors by forming a working party to draft an international standard for drilling rig safety.

The standard would set requirements for technical integrity inspections, safety management, and compliance with regulations of bodies that include the Civil Aviation Authority, U.K. Department of Trade & Industry, and Health & Safety Executive.

In early October Hay will present his ideas to the North Sea chapter of the International Association of Drilling Contractors. Hay hopes the meeting will spur contractors to persuade operators of the viability, of his plan.

"Now every oil company has different standards," said Hay, "but there is some commonality is they are largely based on ISO9000, ISO10011, and API recommendations. This should enable us to achieve a standard acceptable to all."