The Petroleum Safety Authority of Norway has identified serious shortcomings in systems and processes for materials handling, on the aftermath of investigation on the ‘Maersk Interceptor’ fatal accident, on 7 December 2017. Maersk Drilling Norge has accordingly been given notice of an order.
This serious accident occurred during the installation of a new seawater pump on the unit located at the Tambar field, North Sea. One person fell into the sea and was killed, while another suffered serious injuries.
As part of its investigation of the incident, the PSA was onboard the unit from 9-13 December 2017. Based on its preliminary investigation, it has identified serious shortcomings in systems and processes for materials handling.
Pursuant to section 69 of the framework regulations on administrative decisions, see sections 6 and 21 of the management regulations on management of health, safety and the environment and on follow-up respectively, sections 13 and 69 of the facilities regulations on materials handling and on lifting appliances and lifting gear respectively, and sections 92 and 33 of the activities regulations on lifting operations and on organisation of work respectively, Maersk Drilling Norge AS is given the following order:
- Review systems for follow-up and use of portable lifting equipment on all facilities in use on the Norwegian continental shelf, including internal control, training of personnel using such equipment and transferring experience with using such equipment.
- Systematically identify and review all operations related to the materials handling process for the installation of seawater pumps on all facilities in use on the Norwegian continental shelf, identify risks and implement necessary measures.
The deadline for compliance with this order was set to 28 February 2018.
