Safety in end-of-life offshore oil platforms

Abstract

In the 1970s, there was a significant drive for the construction of offshore installations, and a substantial number of platforms and subsea infrastructures have been built since then. Although many of these installations have exceeded their original expected lifespan, estimated between 15 and 30 years, a growing number are reaching the end of their productive lives and require removal in a manner that meets safety standards. A resilient safety culture is essential for reducing incidents in high-risk industries, such as oil and gas. Progress toward a resilient culture becomes even more relevant in the context of aging platforms or those undergoing decommissioning, where the inherent risks of operations are often exacerbated by factors such as the degradation of installations, the absence of procedures for new tasks, and the perception of job instability. In this context, this research aims to analyze the safety culture on three offshore platforms of a Brazilian oil and gas company that are at the end of their service life, identifying the main constraints faced by the resident workforce. In light of the concepts of the activity ergonomics approach, this study adopts the case study method. Evidence collection followed a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative methods. In the quantitative phase, homogeneous groups were formed among onboard teams, and customized safety questionnaires were applied, with data analysis using an adapted Likert scale. In the qualitative phase, focus groups were organized to validate and enrich the results, encouraging the exchange of practices and values related to safety. The main findings of the research include: (1) The perception of worsening job instability on platforms in the decommissioning phase, with consequent detrimental effects on the psychological well-being of the resident workforce; (2) Design issues on older platforms, related to the lack of incorporation of real work aspects into the designs; (3) Lack of trust in the system, caused by the degraded condition of the platforms due to accumulated wear and operational life extensions beyond the original design. This state negatively impacts both the safety of professionals and the reliability of the installations. Based on these results, several recommendations were proposed, such as the integration of ergonomics into platform engineering design, going beyond technical specifications, and based on the feedback from existing situations for designing new conditions. Other recommendations include structuring retraining plans for workers on decommissioning platforms and creating new employment opportunities in related sectors. Finally, the practical contribution of this research is highlighted, addressing a field demand for studies focused on safety in platforms at the end of their service life, as well as its theoretical contribution by expanding the understanding of new risks inherent to offshore oil and gas platforms in the decommissioning phase, with a focus on real work.

Keywords: Safety culture, human factors, offshore platforms, decommissioning, oil and gas industry.

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1006579