PISTA BLOG#18 (Jan 2023): OFFSHORE O&G PLATFORM EMERGENCY ALARMS & COMMUNICATIONS

OFFSHORE O & G EMERGENCY ALARMS & COMMUNICATIONS

   The Global O & G Industry is engaged in extracting, storing, transporting, and processing highly flammable or explosive materials. The demand for the so-called “BLACK GOLD” has only been increasing over the past decades. The related risks of the occurrence of emergencies, such as explosions, fires, electrocutions, accidents, chemical leakages, etc. have led to strict compliance with necessary safety measures and the setting up of emergency alarms, warning, and notification systems. 

Thanks to the technological developments in the field, innovative solutions for the monitoring, warning, and notification of the external and internal areas onboard offshore oil rigs, production platforms, and FPSOs are equipped with very reliable solutions to improve the occupational and health safety of offshore workers.

EMERGENCY ALARMS IN OFFSHORE PLATFORMS

• Many different types of alarms and signals are used to alert the personnel onboard during various emergencies, these signals may vary from platform to platform and also region to region. Every person has to get acquainted with the station bill and to familiarize themselves with the emergency signals on the installation. An INSTALLATION SPECIFY INDUCTION is conducted for every personnel, upon arrival offshore.

• The STATION BILL also lists the actions to take upon hearing each of these alarms.

• All alarms are located all over the installation and AWARENESS OF THE NEAREST ALARM activation points is vital.

TYPES OF COMMON EMERGENCY ALARMS ONBOARD:

• GENERAL PLATFORM ALARM
• FIRE ALARM
• MAN OVERBOARD ALARM
• CO2 ALARM
• GAS ALARM
• ALL CLEAR ALARM
• ABANDON PLATFORM ALARM

Now dear readers let's take a closer look at each of these Alarm types

GENERAL ALARM

The General Emergency Alarm on the Platform is usually recognized by 7 short ringing of the bell followed by a long ring or using the platform’s horn signal of 7 short blasts followed by 1 long blast.

IMMEDIATE ACTIONS:

• Stop work and make the work area safe
• Put on appropriate clothing
• Report to your emergency response duties (if any additional duties are given)
• Assemble at the Muster point for muster roll call

FIRE ALARM 

A Fire alarm is sounded as the continuous ringing of an electric bell or the continuous sounding of the Platform’s horn.

IMMEDIATE ACTIONS:

• All the personnel must assemble at the muster station 
• Wait for further instruction
• Get into the survival craft, once instruction is received from the CCR Central Control Room

MAN OVERBOARD ALARM

 When a person falls overboard, the platform’s internal alarm bell sounds 3 long rings, and Platform’s whistle will blow 3 long blasts to notify the crew on board and the other vessel and any FRC (Fast Rescue Craft) in the nearby vicinity.

IMMEDIATE ACTIONS:

• Keep watching the person so that they don't go out of sight
• Throw a lifebuoy
• Contact the control room so they can launch the Fast Rescue Craft FRC

CO2 ALARM

All Offshore O& G Platforms are fitted with FIXED-CO2 fire extinguishing systems whose audible and visual alarm is entirely different from the General platform, Machinery space alarm, and other alarms for easy reorganization.

IMMEDIATE ACTIONS:

• All the personnel must be accounted for in the muster station 
• Wait for further instruction

GAS ALARM- (Toxic/H2S)

For the emergency teams and to allow the safe intervention of the team-mate (Buddy system) in an emergency a sufficient number of sets of Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) shall be provided at readily accessible places on the sour gas installation. Breathing apparatus will be used at the source area or in any area that has more than 10 ppm of H2S in the air.

The use of SCBA should be strictly restricted to safety and rescue operations and not normal works, which requires the installation of a Cascade system, (i.e. rescue of people being suffocated by H2S, measure of H2S concentration, or any required investigation under H2S dangerous atmosphere).

The SCBA will be of the positive pressure type, 30’ autonomy (6 l x 200 bars), and full face mask 

Additionally, some advanced monitoring Systems and sensors can be calibrated to sense Flammable Gas leaks as well.

ABANDON PLATFORM ALARM

When the emergency on board people goes out of hands is no longer safe, The OIM of the rig can give a Verbal Abandon platform order, but this alarm is never given in the platform’s bell or whistle. The general alarm is sounded and everybody comes to the emergency muster station

IMMEDIATE ACTIONS:

• Get into the survival craft, helicopter, or other means of escape
• Designated personnel will launch survival craft

ALL CLEAR ALARM

The All Clear alarm is typically a series of short sounding of the General Alarm. This alarm is sounded to indicate the installation has been made safe and the personnel can now return from the Muster areas. This will also be announced verbally by the OIM

GENERAL ACTIONS IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION INCLUDE 5 MAIN STEPS:

These are widely considered to be best-practice that should be taken in the management of an emergency. 

PREVENTION – the steps that are taken to avoid an incident or accident from occurring in the first place

MITIGATION - these are measures that can reduce the risk of an emergency happening

PREPAREDNESS – the activities that are carried out to be ready to respond if an emergency occurs onboard.

RESPONSE – the actions that are taken immediately before, during, and after an emergency to save lives and reduce loss and damages to personnel, environment, and assets.

RECOVERY – the actions that take place in the aftermath of the emergency to restore services and return to normal conditions.

 

The various types of alarms commonly used and related emergency procedures on-board are discussed as part of the SEA SURVIVAL TRAINING included in the OPITO BOSIET Course offered at  PISTA, India.-The Pioneers in Offshore Oil & Gas Industry Safety Training in Southern India.