Safety probe finds flaws on Shell’s Draugen

Norway’s offshore safety agency, the Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA), has carried out an audit of Shell’s Draugen platform located offshore Norway. 

The agency looked into Shell’s management of technical, operational and administrative aspects of logistics and management of the working environment at Draugen.

PSA’s objective was to assess Shell’s competence and resources for safeguarding the company’s administration and management of logistics and the working environment at Draugen.

The organization further added that the secondary goal was to assess whether the management met the regulations in respect of governing documentation and compliance within these disciplines.

The audit resulted in the PSA finding two non-conformities and six improvement points.

The non-conformities were identified in connection with personnel lifts and the register of at-risk employees.

Improvement points identified by the PSA regard management system for follow-up after periodic checks of cranes and lifting equipment, management of inspection and maintenance of offshore cranes, materials handling, training, the list of at-risk groups, and plans for mapping and verification of chemicals.

According to the PSA, Shell has been given a deadline of June 10 to report on how the non-conformities and improvement points will be dealt with.

Draugen is an oil field in the Norwegian Sea, around 150 km north of Kristiansund. Norske Shell, the Norwegian subsidiary of oil giant Shell, is the field’s operator.