2011-12-20 Exploring Power Perspectives on Robust Regulation
The objective of this report is to explore how various conceptualisations of power can help us understand the robustness of the Norwegian risk regulation regime within the petroleum sector. We outline four different perspectives on power:
1. Power in action
2. Power as a resource
3. Power in collaboration and networks
4. Power in symbols and discourse.
We explore how the perspectives can be used to help us understand specific issues related to the regulation of risk. We also discuss implications concerning research approach and methods.Read the report. Contact Ragnar Rosness
2011-10-20: Barriers to prevent and limit acute releases to sea - Environmental risk acceptance criteria and requirements to safety systems
A new report has been developed in the PDS project. Focus is on non-planned acute releases to sea and the barriers applied during drilling, workover and subsea production in order to prevent such releases. The report discusses requirements to such barriers on two different levels; (1) on a high level in terms of environmental risk acceptance criteria (ERAC) and (2) on a more detailed level in terms of performance requirements for the barriers. The relationships between the overall acceptance criteria and the more detailed performance requirements is also discussed. The work has mainly been carried out by SINTEF and may therefore not express the view of all the PDS participants. The report can be downloaded
here
2011-06-29: Study of the Deepwater Horizon accident and other major offshore petroleum industry disasters
Regulations and procedures in themselves are not enough to ensure safety during oil-drilling operations, conclude SINTEF researchers who have studied the accident investigation reports from the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.
Executive Summary
Read more
Contact: Ranveig Kviseth Tinmannsvik
2011-04-07:
Report HSE challenges related to offshore wind
Offshore wind is a developing industry in Norway. Many Norwegian actors are already strongly involved in development and operation of offshore wind farms internationally. SINTEF, department for safety research, has, together with the FME NOWITECH carried out a project where we studied HSE issues related to offshore wind farms. The report provides an overview of different offshore wind concepts and access types, the actors in Norway and a qualitative evaluation of possible hazards and accident scenarios for offshore wind. Download report
Final report HSE challenges offshore renewable energy.pdfKontakt:
2011-01-06:
Perspectives on organisational accidents and resilient organisations Six perspectives are presented that can help understand the organisational mechanisms related to major accidents. This new version of the report ”Organisational Accidents and Resilient Organisations” includes a new chapter on Resilience Engineering and a new case, the Snorre A blow-out in 2004.
Download report Contact:
Ragnar Rosness
2010-12-22: Summary Reports from the Project: Building Safety
Reports on the following three research topics have been published:
2010-06-14:
SINTEF sign MOU with the Beijing Academy of Science and Technology (BJAST)SINTEF signed June 2, 2010 a cooperation agreement with BJAST A delegation from the largest institute, the Beijing Municipal Institute of Labour Protection (BMILP) visited SINTEF last year. During the meeting it was identified several topics for further cooperation.
Contact:
Lars Bodsberg
2010-06-07:
The Human Resource in SecuritySecurity as a science is still trying to make barriers “perfect”. A White Paper from the EuroTech Security Group suggests that human and organizational contributions to resilience should be given at least the same attention as human and organizational contributions to vulnerability.
Download report.
Contact:
Tor Olav Grøtan
2010-04-22: Ageing and management of life extension of offshore facilities
The report provides an overview of relevant ageing management issues, challenges and analyses related to ageing and life extension in general and for specific offshore systems. Read more
here.
2010-04-07: Helicopter Safety Study 3
The overall objective of the Helicopter Safety Study 3 (HSS-3) is to contribute to improved safety in helicopter transport of personnel to, and from, fixed and floating oil- and gas installations on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS). The study is a follow-up of the previous studies Helicopter Safety Study (HSS-1) and Helicopter Safety Study 2 (HSS-2). The present (HSS-3) report is in Norwegian language with an English executive summary. The English version of the main report is available
here.
More info or download the report
here.
2010-03-08: PDS handbooks
SINTEF has developed a reliability prediction method (PDS Method Handbook) with an associated set of recommended reliability data (PDS Data Handbook) for reliability, availability, maintainability and safety (RAMS) analysis of Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS). The PDS handbooks can be used to calculate safety integrity levels (SIL) in line with the IEC 61508 and IEC 615011 standards.
2010-01-11: New OREDA offshore reliability data handbook for RAMS analysis
SINTEF has published a new edition of the OREDA handbook for topside and subsea equipment. The handbook is a unique source for RAMS analysis in the petroleum industry world wide. See
http://www.sintef.no/oredahandbook.
Contact:
Lars Bodsberg
2009-11-04: Risk and Decision Systems for Critical Infrastructures
A new method for risk and vulnerability analyses has been developed that focus on critical infrastructure (drinking water, energy supply, transportation, ICT) interdependencies. The methodology is an "all hazard" approach, to be used by authorities and companies with responsibilities of these lifelines. See
http://www.sintef.no/DECRISContact:
2009-02-13: Guideline for follow-up of Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS)
A guideline for follow-up of SIS in the operational phase has been developed. The guideline describes work processes, activities and methods to ensure that the safety integrity level (SIL) is maintained throughout the operational lifetime of an installation. The work has been sponsored by the Norwegian Research Council and the
PDS forum participants.
Download report.
2008-11-24:
ROSS Gemini Centre develops risk analyses methods for integrated operations in the petroleum sectorROSS Gemini Centre Reliability and Safety Studies at NTNU/SINTEF has received support from Research Council of Norway to develop new knowledge, frameworks and guidance for risk assessment in petroleum activities. The Gemini Centre form a model for strategic cooperation in which scientific groups at NTNU and SINTEF coordinate their scientific efforts and jointly operate their resources.
2008-09-16: New Helicopter Safety Study on the Norwegian Continental Shelf
SINTEF has recently signed a research contract with OLF The Norwegian Oil Industry Association concerning a new safety study of the helicopter transport to and from installations on the Norwegian continental shelf. The aim of this ”Helicopter Safety Study 3” (HSS-3) is to analyze the risk evolution in the last decade as well as the next, and suggest new risk reducing measures. The work shall be finished by January 2010 and will be carried out in cooperation with École des Mines de Paris.
More information.
Contact:
2008-08-04: New book: Product Reliability
Currently, reliability issues are not addressed effectively in the development of new products, especially in the early stages of this process. Product Reliability develops a framework which links reliability specifications and product performance in the context of new product development.
Contact:
2008-08-04: FRAM 1-day course at NTNU
A Practical Introduction to the Functional Resonance Analysis Method (FRAM). 1-day Course at NTNU, Friday September 5, 2008.
More info.
2008-02-20: SINTEF employee joins the Management Board of ETPIS
Camilla Knudsen Tveiten has become member of the Management Board of the European Technology Platform on Industrial Safety (ETPIS) and co-leader of the focus group on human and organisational factors (FG3). A high level group from industry, unions, authorities, NGOs, banks, insurance and researchers has undertaken to create the technology platform to achieve safety for sustainable European industry growth.
http://www.industrialsafety-tp.orgContact:
2007-06-27:
Security of remote access to safety instrumented systemsPartly as a consequence of evolving Integrated Operation concepts, a need for remote access to safety instrumented systems (SIS) from vendors external to the operating company, is expected. The SeSa method has been developed in close cooperation with members of the
PDS forum to support decisions concerning safety integrity of SIS.
Download report.
2007-05-10:
SINTEF joins the EU-VRi EEIG as an Associate MemberThe European Virtual Institute for Integrated Risk Management (EU-VRi) EEIG provides professional service, consulting, information and education needed in the broad area of modern integrated risk management and management of emerging risks.
http://www.eu-vri.eu/.
2007-03-23:
PhD on developing a decision framework for deep-water well engineeringM.Sc. Eivind H. Okstad has defended the degree philosophiae doctor (PhD) at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), 2007-03-07. The thesis title is: ”
Decision Framework for Well Delivery Processes - Application of Analytical Methods to Decision Making”. The main objective of the PhD project has been to develop a decision framework, included a methodology, for deep-water well engineering involving big-bore wells. The major industry challenge is here application of immature technology for well drilling and completion. By combining methods within the area of risk analysis and decision analysis, the properties and characteristics of solutions are linked to the important requirements and decision criteria. Special attention is made to decision-making in project teams.
Article on barriers attracts great attentionThe article by Snorre Sklet "
Safety barriers: Definition, classification, and performance" is number 2 on the top 25 lists of most read articles in the period July - September 2006 - counted by article downloads - in the Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries.
See the list.
Contact:
Industry Databank Turns 25
The industry project Offshore Reliability Data (OREDA) has been developing a unique databank since 1981 that has contributed to increased safety and reliability for Norwegian and international oil and gas activities. For more information about OREDA see
info from Ptil or the
Oreda Web Pages.
Contact:
Successful international ESReDA conference on reliability of safety-critical systems
SINTEF, assisted by NTNU, hosted an international conference on “Reliability of Safety-Critical Systems” 7 + 8th of June 2006. There were about 50 participants from 12 nations incl. Brazil and the US. SINTEF/NTNU presented 5 Papers of totally 20. The conference programme, plus some general information, is available on:
http://www.sintef.no/esreda06.
Contact:
2006-04-26:
Handbooks for reliability prediction of safety instrumented systems
SINTEF has developed a reliability prediction method (PDS Method Handbook) and reliability data (PDS Data Handbook) for quantifying the safety and loss of production related to Safety Instrumented System (SIS). The PDS handbooks may be used to calculate Safety Integrity Levels (SIL) in line with the IEC 61508 standard. The PDS method and data is widely used in the Norwegian offshore industry, but it is also applicable to other business sectors. The PDS handbooks are updated through
PDS Forum and the 2006 edition may be ordered from
Sydvest.
Helicopter Safety and Maintenance
SINTEF was appointed by the Committee for Helicopter Safety on the Norwegian Continental Shelf to carry out a preliminary study identifying solutions to implement the recommendations related to the helicopter maintenance function (cf. NOU 2002:17).
The NOU maintenance recommendation was divided into five topics:
- Improve the Maintenance Steering Group documentation provided to helicopter operators
- Improve the communication of maintenance experience to manufacturers in order to improve the maintenance program
- Introduce and implement Crew Resource Management/ Maintenance Resource Management/Human Factors in maintenance
- Evaluation of continuation training
- Improve recruitment of maintenance personnel
