By John DonovanSeems from an article just published by upstream.com that little has changed in Shell’s notorious “Touch F*** All” approach to protecting the lives of its offshore workers. Apparently the corner-cutting bean counter duo now running the show – Peter Voser, and his sidekick Simon Henry – are following the same path. They do not give a F***. Shell’s retired HSE Group Auditor Bill Campbell will probably not be the least surprised by Shell managements continued mendacity in such matters in line with its policy of putting production and profits before the safety of its employees. This is the same management responsible for Shell’s Arctic debacle, which had many hallmarks of a farce, but without being funny.
“…emergency procedures in the event of a structural incident were lacking and the agency also found that an analysis stating that “the constructions can resist all forms of explosion” was “misleading and gave an incorrect risk picture”
Steve Marshall: 18 February 2013 13:09 GMT
Shell has been pulled up by Norway’s safety watchdog for failings related to the integrity of load-bearing structures on its Draugen field platform.
The Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) reported that it has identified a number of regulatory non-conformities after carrying out a recent audit of measures implemented by the Anglo-Dutch operator to ensure the technical integrity of the concrete-based facility in the Norwegian Sea.
The inspection was intended to determine how Shell prevents structural failure, with a focus on barrier management in relation to the integrity of load-bearing structures.
However, Shell was unable to present a strategy showing a connection between its risk analysis and barrier maintenance and there was a lack of proper barrier management, while the company also could not document performance requirements for specific structures, according to the PSA report.
Furthermore, emergency procedures in the event of a structural incident were lacking and the agency also found that an analysis stating that “the constructions can resist all forms of explosion” was “misleading and gave an incorrect risk picture”, the PSA said.
Shell, which operates Draugen in partnership with Chevron and Petoro, has been given a deadline of 30 April to respond to the findings of the audit.
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