The Electro-mechanical Inspection–It’s More Than Just a Rig Assessment

The electro-mechanical inspection has traditionally been an integral element of the acquisition, lease and maintenance of a rig. When performed as part of a comprehensive system oriented rig assessment, the electro-mechanical inspection can further improve the uptime, efficiency, reliability and safety of the entire rig. As the major regulatory regimes become more focused on the methods used to manage risk in the operation and maintenance of these electro-mechanical systems, it is becoming increasingly important to consider both the system aspects (e.g. controls) and the risk management aspects as part of the electro-mechanical inspection. Given this regulatory focus on risk management, the electro-mechanical inspection now needs be more than just an assessment of the rig equipment condition. It should also include the operational and maintenance procedures in place to manage and mitigate risk. At the same time it must take into account the fact that the major regulatory regimes address the mitigation and management of risk in different ways, which makes accomplishing this dual purpose more complex than one would initially assume. As an example, consider the differences in how risk management activities are treated under the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) regulations in place in the Gulf of Mexico, and the regulations in place under the UK and Norwegian sectors of the North Sea. In the Gulf of Mexico, under BSEE regulations, the Safety and Environmental Management Systems (SEMS) approach is primarily focused on personnel and organizational behaviors such as stop work provisions, definition of authority and employee participation. BSEE does not specifically address formal risk based safety management processes such as Hazard analysis, and the ensuing decisions around risk management and mitigation. Conversely, under the North Sea regimes, there is a significantly stronger focus on the up-front quantification and analysis of risk – e.g., As Low As Reasonably Possible (ALARP) – and the implementation of safety systems to mitigate that risk, e.g., the Safety Case. These differences should be considered when performing electro-mechanical equipment assessments so that regardless of the regime, the management and mitigation of risk for the equipment is covered. For a rig going into the North Sea, attention should be paid to the risk assessments and ensuing mitigations that have been put in place pertaining to the operations and maintenance for each piece of equipment being assessed. In the Gulf of Mexico more attention needs to be put on how the organizational behaviors described in the SEMS impact the management of risks associated with the equipment. Regardless of the regulatory regime however, in the unfortunate event of a safety incident, the history of risk management decisions and the existence and maintenance of safety systems could become a critical part of any investigation. The systematic analysis of hazard, risk and the need for mitigation provides a much safer operating environment. Your electro-mechanical inspections should include an assessment of these risk activities. Athens Group’s electro-mechanical rig assessment is designed to include all aspects of the overall systems (equipment and controls) and satisfy both the specific regulatory requirements for the risk management approach, as well as the underlying need to effectively manage risk, regardless of the regulations in place. For more information about Athens Group Service’s electro-mechanical assessment services, please contact us.