Equinor – Statfjord B – safety systems and the company's follow-up of SIL in operations

The audit was conducted from 26 to 30 September 2022.

Background

Safety systems are important for detecting abnormal conditions, preventing them from developing, and limiting the damage caused by accidents. Through testing and maintenance activities, the participants must ensure that the systems meet the assumptions on which their design and subsequent modifications were based.

Objective

The objective of the audit was to verify how Equinor handles safety systems in operations, and to focus attention on the follow-up of performance requirements that apply to the safety systems, especially SIL in operations, so that the safety level is maintained and improvement measures are implemented where necessary.

Result

The audit identified non-conformities concerning:

• Performance of the annual emergency shutdown (ESD) test
• Procedures and follow-up of safety-critical equipment – gas detectors
• Follow-up of SIL requirements for blowout preventer (BOP) with control system

We also identified a factor that is categorised as an improvement point.

What happens now?

We have asked Equinor to report by 19 December 2022 on how the non-conformities will be addressed and for their assessment of the improvement point observed.