Risk management of human and organizational factors for the escape and evacuation of offshore installations

Norazahar, Norafneeza (2017) Risk management of human and organizational factors for the escape and evacuation of offshore installations. Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

Human and organizational factors, from the organizational level to the procedural and technical levels, can impact personnel. The human and organizational factors associated with personnel responses should be identified and managed in the emergency escape plan. This study presents a framework for human and organizational factors risk management in the escape and evacuation of offshore installations. The design and development of the framework are divided into four categories: a) identifying the presence of human and organizational factors in the safety barriers of escape and evacuation systems, b) estimating the probability of how human and organizational factors can affect personnel responses, c) combining the probabilities of personnel failing to respond with the consequential effects to assess risks, and d) applying a safety hierarchy to risk management of human and organizational factors in the escape and evacuation system. The first case study considered in this thesis examines the Macondo blowout, finding that insufficient emergency exercises, poor communication, impairment of personnel’s physical abilities due to unsafe conditions, and poor emergency preparedness planning contributed to the ineffectiveness of emergency escape and evacuation. In the second study, a Bayesian analysis is used to connect the human and organizational factors that affect every safety barrier. Using illustrative data, the study identifies the scheduled maintenance of alarm systems as a critical human and organizational factor for notifying personnel of emergencies on offshore installations. In the third study, personnel response to emergency alarms is shown to be affected by cold temperature, strong winds, and darkness during emergency scenarios, thereby impacting risk. The fourth study is used to complete the risk management framework of human and organizational factors. In the fourth study, a safety hierarchy consisting of inherent safety, engineering safety, and procedural safety is used in the risk management framework. Examples of engineering safety presented in the study are the use of lighting and dynamic exit signs in assisting personnel to escape from hazardous areas. In terms of procedural safety, personnel who received frequent practice of escape activities performed better than personnel without such practice. To conclude this study, the framework is identified as a practical tool for minimizing and managing human and organizational factors and risks present in the escape and evacuation of offshore installations.

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