Reducing oil and gas spills

20 September 2010

Amor Group has stated that the oil and gas industry can improve its recent record in offshore oil and gas releases through improved process safety practices.Findings from the HSE’s offshore safety statistics bulletin 2009/10 revealed that releases of hydrocarbons form North Sea installations were at a five year high and up 40% on the previous year.

But according to Amor Group, this could be significantly reduced by implementing their newly launched process safety management system.

With more than 20 years experience developing, supporting and implementing process safety procedures in oil and gas operations in the UKCS, Amor Group has developed a system to capture all the information required in near real-time to make proactive decisions that could prevent offshore incidents.

Amor Group brings together data from disparate sources to provide a simpler, more robust environment in which to control and manage the hazards and risks that lead to major incidents.

The system makes it easier for those operating controls to see the full operational picture and to react appropriately to alarms and triggers, while providing senior management and boards with access to key information that will allow them to make informed decisions on safety and controls.
For the first time, decision makers have the ability to drill down into working schedules and practices and reassure themselves that policies and safe working procedures are being followed.

Andy Corkhill, Energy Director at Amor Group, said: "IT itself is not the solution, but it provides a solid platform from which an effective process safety management system can grow.

"Working with the oil and gas industry and a major utility firm, we have a proven methodology that standardises responses to critical situations, ensuring containment and early warning of potential risks and hazards.

"By combining imperative business and asset performance data with a proven IT architecture, we can improve reporting, in near real-time, of key leading and lagging indicators to proactively reduce the potential for major and minor incidents."

Corkhill believes the system can revolutionise process safety offshore and ensure that safety is radically improved, even on older assets which have exceeded their original design life."