| dc.description.abstract | Investigation of several accidents or near-misses in recent years has shown that there often is a clear causal relationship between a lack of control of the barriers and the final consequences of individual events on hydrocarbon-producing installations offshore.
Companies with operator status or the party responsible for operation often show a lack of understanding of the barrier's position in a risk management system. This applies particularly to the small and new operators, which in the recent years has started operation on the Norwegian continental shelf. The lack of understanding of the barriers significance and how these interacts with the risk level for a system or an installation often results in a maintenance or testing regime below what would be required to maintain the requested functionality and reliability.
This master’s thesis main purpose is to present the most important elements in a barrier management system for an offshore installation, through its lifetime. To clarify the various element, the suggestion for a method of establishment of a management system is split into four levels and presented one level at a time. The suggested system is developed based on experience from offshore installations, but can also be used for all other areas where barriers are installed to counteract the effects or further development of events.
Chapter 2 is dedicated to present the different underlying elements connected to a complete barrier management system. Relevant sections from the PSA regulations and underlying standards are presented. Some of the most relevant sections in the different regulations are reproduced in its entirety to make it more convenient for the reader. These regulations are later referred to in the report. Then the chapter presents theory about barriers and barrier management and explains terms such as barriers, barrier elements, and the correlation between barrier- functions and barrier systems before the chapter ends with an introduction to what a barrier management system is.
Chapter 3 presents, as mentioned, a barrier management system divided in to four levels. The system starts with a simple test- and maintenance program at Level 1, which in Level 2 is expanded by establishing a list of barriers, identifying safety critical elements and establishment of the barriers performance acceptance criteria. Level 3 introduce an extended test regime into the management system, and in Level 4 a management systems administrative part is implemented. | no_NO |
