The project monitors the risk level development using various methods such as incident indicators, barrier data, interviews with key informants, work seminars, field work and a major questionnaire survey every other year. The results are presented in annual reports.
The Risk Level Project was initiated in 1999/2000 to develop and utilise a measuring tool which illustrates the development in the risk level on the Norwegian shelf. The project plays an important role in the industry by contributing to a universal understanding of risk level development among the parties.
Both qualitative and quantitative methods
The project is based on two methods which complement each other:
- By describing indicators, so-called defined hazard and accident situations (DFUs), which are critical to safety and the working environment, a set of measuring tools has been developed which provides information about the risk level development on the Norwegian shelf.
- In addition, questionnaire surveys, interviews, field work and other studies form the basis for social science analyses.
The project focuses on personal risk and includes major accidents, work accidents and selected working environment factors. It is limited to matters which fall under the PSA's area of authority in connection with safety and the working environment.
In 2006, land facilities included in the PSA’s area of authority were included in the project. In addition, all helicopter transport of personnel is included in the project - in cooperation with the Civil Aviation Authority and the helicopter operators on the Norwegian shelf.
Continuous Improvement
"Continuous Improvement" has been the project's mantra. In order to describe the risk level development as well as possible, there has been a continuous effort to identify new methods, risk areas and other key parameters which can provide further understanding of which risk factors are the most important to track over time.
2001 saw the implementation of the first questionnaire survey, where the objective is to make employees on the Norwegian shelf describe how they perceive HSE conditions at their workplace. This survey has been carried out every second year.
In phase 5 (2004), field work was carried out for the first time on selected facilities which had shown positive development. The purpose of the field work was to identify which factors or measures might have contributed to this improvement.
