Mechanical engineering

The OSD Mechanical Engineering team (OSD3.4) has responsibility for:

• lifting operations
• pressure systems integrity
• machinery and rotating equipment

Integrity issues are considered throughout the whole life cycle of the plant including design, procurement, installation, operation, inspection, major repairs and modifications to plant, maintenance, and decommissioning. The team’s work covers both major accident hazards and hazards giving rise to ‘occupational’ injuries.

• Our Topic Strategy [PDF 367KB] describes our intervention plan, work with stakeholders and future challenges in these areas.

Lifting operations

Crane operation is an inherent part of offshore oil and gas operations, lifting a multitude of supplies and materials to and from offshore facilities. Lifting and mechanical handling operations can pose a major accident hazard if a suspended load or crane boom falls on to processes piping. Injuries and dangerous occurrences arising from lifting operations account for about 20% of the total of those occurring offshore.

• International Regulators Forum (IRF) generic offshore lifting report [PDF 84KB]
  Describes work done by the IRF to identify common concerns with lifting operations, initiatives to address those concerns, and descriptions of the benchmarks used to secure compliance with the relevant national legislation. The IRF Lifting Working Group has developed inspection templates for planning of lifting operations, maintenance, competency assurance and man riding in the derrick. The root causes of incidents are classified using the Human-Technology-Organisation model. Find out more.
• 'Single line components' in the hoisting and braking systems of offshore cranes (Safety Notice 2/2005)
  This safety notice was published following a serious incident involving the uncontrolled lowering of a crane boom. This notice describes the incident and outlines the actions that should be taken, including undertaking a failure mode effects and criticality analysis (FMECA) study to identify safety critical parts of the crane.
• The maintenance and thorough examination of braking systems on offshore cranes (Safety Notice 1/2004). Reminds dutyholders of the requirement to ensure the continued integrity of crane braking systems by:
  • operating a maintenance system that will ensure all braking systems remain in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair
  • ensuring the thorough examination undertaken by a competent person is sufficient to ensure any deterioration in the braking system will be detected and remedied in good time.
• Guidance on procedures for the transfer of personnel by carriers [PDF, 41KB] (Offshore Information Sheet 1/2007)
  Guidance on operations that involve the transfer of personnel to, from and around offshore installations using suitable lifting equipment and personnel carriers.
• The thorough examination and inspection of offshore cranes [PDF, 37KB](Offshore Information Sheet 9/2007)
  Reminds dutyholders and the competent persons undertaking 'thorough examinations' and 'inspections', to include such measures as necessary to enable the individual integrity of the primary and secondary braking systems to be verified. This applies to all cranes, not just those which may be used for manriding operations.
• Guidance on regulations and testing applicable to drawworks equipment [PDF, 49KB] (Offshore Information Sheet 14/2007)
• Status of OMHEC guidance (Operations Notice 72)
  Information on OMHEC (Offshore Mechanical Handling Equipment Committee) and the status of two OMHEC guidance publications.

Pressure systems integrity

• Catastrophic failure of shell and tube production cooler (Safety Alert 1/2006)
  A serious incident occurred that involved the catastrophic failure of a shell and tube heat exchanger, and there is a potential risk of failure to heat exchangers of the same, or similar, design. This notice describes the incident and outlines the action that dutyholders should take.
• Weldless repair of safety critical piping systems (Safety Notice 4/2005)
  Provides advice on safe practice for the repair of piping used on offshore installations and highlights poor practice.
• Potential catastrophic failure of pressure-balanced cage-guided control valves and chokes (Safety Notice 11/2005)
  Reminds dutyholders of the need to consider the risk from any process operation that may result in solids being deposited onto the internal surface of process equipment.
• Barton differential pressure gauge indicators (model 227) (Safety Notice 3/2004)
  Highlights a recurring problem with the fasteners holding together either side of Barton Differential Pressure Gauge Indicators (Model 227).
• Guidelines for the avoidance of vibration induced fatigue in process pipework (links to Energy Institute website)
  The Energy Institute (EI) has published new guidelines to assess all those concerned with minimising the risk of incurring loss of containment from vibration induced fatigue failures of process plant pipework.
• Guidelines for the management of the integrity of bolted joints in pressurised systems (links to Energy Institute website)
  The Energy Institute (EI), in association with UK Oil and Gas (formerly UKOOA), has published new guidance to assist the aim of securing improvement in the management of offshore installation integrity by development and promotion of industry good practices and suitable performance measures.

Machinery and rotating equipment

• RR076 Machinery and rotating equipment integrity inspection guidance notes
• RR430 Offshore gas turbines (and major driven equipment) integrity and inspection guidance notes