System Safety
While the designers of modern technical systems strive to eliminate all hazards that may be associated with the operation of their equipment, the reality is that hazardous operations, processes, and equipment cannot be avoided. As a result, we must provide a management process whereby these systems can be operated in a safe manner in spite of their hazard potential. This management process is called Systems Safety. An effective Systems Safety program involves the identification, analysis, and development of control methodologies for every hazard that is associated with the operation of a system or process. The minimum acceptable risk associated with any system operation or process must also be quantified. Only in this way can the risk associated with the operations of systems ranging from spacecraft to deepwater drilling rigs be managed to maintain the highest degree of safety while allowing maximized operational efficiency.
USA Offshore has been involved in the development and operation of Systems Safety Programs for over 25 years. Our Systems Safety approach is based on the tenets of MIL-STD-882; the cornerstone of every effective Systems Safety Program around the world. We have tailored the standards and requirements of MIL-STD-882 to meet the needs of both government and commercial industry to provide safe operations and effective risk management of some of the world’s most hazardous systems and equipment operating in extremes of environments.
Governmental regulations, insurance requirements, and just good company safety policy dictate that the operators of modern complex systems ensure that effective hazard control and risk management methodologies are fully implemented and demonstrable.
USA Offshore provides the expertise to answer the challenge of applied Systems Safety regardless of the complexity of the system(s).
Systems Safety involves all aspects of systems operation. A mistaken belief is that Systems Safety and Process Safety are synonymous. Certainly, Process Safety is a key element of Systems Safety. However, Process Safety, taken alone, is not sufficient to provide an effective Systems Safety Program. As shown below, an effective Systems Safety Program involves hardware hazards identification and analysis, process analysis, human/machine interface analysis, and environmental analysis.
Elements of System Safety
Detailed analysis of the elements of Systems Safety include the identification of all hazards associated with each element, the inter-relationships of hazards between elements, the analysis of the worse-case event that can result if a hazard is allowed to manifest itself, and the likelihood that the event will occur. The information derived from these analyses is used to develop controls for each hazard and the operational constraints that may be required.
A Risk Matrix will be used to quantify the severity of the hazard and the standard actions to be taken should it occur. An example of this matrix is shown below. As shown, the matrix is used to determine a Risk Assessment Code (RAC) for each hazard. This RAC is used to reference standard actions to be taken to remediate a hazard and any required off-site notifications and action approvals that may be required.
Typical action and notification protocols are shown below and are used in the decision making process for risk management.
The intent of the USA Offshore Systems Safety process is to provide information-based decision making support in managing the risks associated with the operation of complex equipment. On-site personnel cannot be expected to have the capability to rapidly and properly react to the multitude of potential problems that can occur during the operation of complex equipment. The USA Offshore Systems Safety approach will analyze these potential problems before they occur, prescribe a standard set of actions to be taken by on-site operations personnel, and describe any regulatory or company procedures that must be followed should the hazard be encountered. These prescribed actions can be made available in both hard copy procedures or computer-based procedures and actions that will allow instantaneous access.
USA OFFSHORE SYSTEMS SAFETY AND YOU
USA Offshore will meet with you and assess your particular needs related to Systems Safety. Our Systems Safety approach is based on MIL-STD-882 and over 25 years of experience in developing and managing Systems Safety Programs. We recognize that every system is unique and that not all systems require the same rigor or detail in the approach that is required for each Systems Safety Program application.
The USA Offshore Systems Safety Program approach typically produces a set of Risk Management documentation as shown below. This documentation is used to support decision-making related to problem analysis, procedural deviations, and/or management of change issues that can occur during the operation of any complex system. This documentation can be provided in both hard-copy and electronic form to support both normal and contingency operations.