OFFSHORE SAFETY HANDOUT

OFFSHORE CONSTRUCTION SAFETY HANDOUT

FOR ENGINEERS VISITING OFFSHORE

1 26.09.2015

0 10.08.2014

Rev. No Date Prepared by Checked by Approved by

Document Number EILOPO-HSE-01

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OFFSHORE SAFETY HANDOUT

Index
1. Foreword 3

2. The Offshore Industry and Safety 4

3. Safety during travel: Onshore to Offshore. 6

4. Safety during Stay 8

5. Technical aspects of offshore field for safety awareness 9

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Foreword

This offshore construction manual has been prepared for Personnel visiting offshore. Those who
are not used to the conditions of offshore working may find it risky and unsafe place. Just like you
follow traffic rules to be safe on the roads you have to follow certain rules in offshore to remain
safe. Accidents in offshore not only hurts the personnel but it also the public property which is of
national importance.

Follow all the rules and instructions given time to time at offshore by various agencies and keep
this handout as a ready reference for safety of oneself and the offshore/marine assets.

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The Offshore Industry and Safety

EIL engineers visit offshore platform located in India and abroad for survey, Construction
supervision, Inspection and other project related activities with duration ranging from few days to
15 days. Lives at sea is at risk at various stages of travel, performing duties and stay at offshore and
therefore it is mandatory to undergo special trainings and safety inductions at platform/Vessels
mandated by Clients and government rules/regulations.

Offshore Work Safety

Offshore safety trainings- Safety Induction and

HUET, PST,EFA,FF. emergency drills at Platform
Medical fitness certificate /Barge/Vessels

Safety during Safety during

travel stay

Stay at Stay at
Travel by Travel by Boat vessel/Barge
Helicopter Platform

Offshore safety trainings are mandatory for getting permit to work at offshore. Objective of
offshore training are-
a. Identify the generic hazards which are specific to offshore oil and gas installations, potential
risks associated with those hazards, and how controls are put in place to eliminate or reduce
risks.
b. Identify key offshore related safety regulations and explain the basic safety management
concepts

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c. Demonstrate that they can use the safety equipment, and follow procedures in preparing
for, and during helicopter emergencies with particular focus on escaping from a helicopter
following ditching
d. Demonstrate sea survival and first aid techniques
e. Demonstrate that they can effectively use basic fire fighting equipment, and practise self-
rescue techniques in low visibility situations, to include smoke filled areas.
f. Familiarization of offshore environment and associated risks involved.

To fulfil these objectives following trainings are provided by Marine institutes (Approved by DG
shipping in India or foreign government agencies in abroad or OPITO)
1. Sea Survival
2. Elementary First aid
3. Firefighting techniques
4. Helicopter Underwater Escape training.

Sea Survival:- In sea survival, Various techniques are learnt like how to jump from a height into the
sea, how to don life jackets, How to open life rafts, dos and donts when in sea.
Elementary first Aid:- provide immediate basic medical care at the scene of an accident or other
medical emergency until the arrival of a person with first aid skills or the person in charge of medical
care aboard.
Firefighting techniques:- Basic fire prevention and firefighting techniques
Helicopter Underwater Escape Training: - The purpose of this training is to prepare the passengers
for emergency exit from the helicopter in case of ditching.

Also safety inductions are given at Platform as well as in barge/vessels by respective OIM/barge
superintendent/ship captain for any emergency during the stay. Regular safety drills are conducted
to increase the awareness and prepare all the personnel for emergency rescue or evacuation.

Permit to work at Offshore: - Work permit in the form of NED pass (Non-employee duty pass) is
issued by clients for personnel working at offshore and issued only after verifying the requisite
training certificates mentioned above. It is issued for duration ranging from project completion dates
to one time pass for shorter durations. Following documents shall be submitted to Indian Clients for
NED pass-

1. Latest original Character and Antecedents verification Certificate from Police.

2. Identity Proof (Passport, Voter Id Card, Driving Licence, UID Card, Id Card issued by
state/Central Govt/ PSUs)
3. Certificate for following mandatory Safety Training undergone in an institute approved by
the Director General of Shipping.
Sea Survival
Fire fighting
First Aid
Helicopter Underwater Escape training (HUET)

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In addition to the trainings and induction programs an individual has to be aware of the situations
where he could be at risk. He should be alert and focussed right from his start of travel from onshore
to offshore where he could be travelling from chopper, boat and Zodiac till his return back to
onshore. In order to mitigate the risk and individual has to be aware of different scenario at
offshore explained below considering it to be a Brownfield Project.

Safety during travel: Onshore to Offshore.

Offshore platforms can be reached either by choppers or boats or in combination of both.

Choppers:- Arrive at helibase well before allotted time to complete the formalities for weighing of
luggage and persons weight and boarding pass. Your name will be announced when the sortie is
ready and safety briefing will be conducted to acquaint the passenger type of chopper, on-board
safety equipment and dos and donts. These instructions are very important for safely boarding and
deboarding of chopper. It also important to wear outfits which suits chopper travelling ( not wearing
caps, not wearing loose out fits,
not carry any loose items (news
papers, books etc in hand) ).

Never try to enter chopper

premises from tail end (tail
rotor) which is considered to be
most dangerous and is
prohibited area. Always enter
into chopper premises from
front only.

Another impotent aspect of

chopper travelling is awareness
of hand signals, always looks for Thumps up from chopper pilot and chopper attendant, which is
considered to be OK.

When the chopper lands at the platform wait for the instructions from the attendant who will be
present at the helideck. He will be the first person who will open the hatches of chopper for you.
Dont try to open the hatch by yourself. Your luggage will be given back to you and you will be
directed to radio room for reporting and will be given safety induction specifically prepared for that
platform to acquaint the passengers various alarms, muster stations and dos and donts. Detail of
the safety induction is explained in details in next sections.

When the chopper landing is on Barge/Vessels you will have to report to bridge of the vessel/barge
to register your arrival and allotment of room after safety Induction specially prepared for that
barge/ship.

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Boats: - Arrive at the port/jetty with supporting

documents (ID cards, Passport etc) which will be
required for boarding. Board the ship/boat from the
port/jetty and report to the bridge or the officer present
during your boarding. A safety induction will be given by
the safety officer of the ship. You are required to follow
all the instructions given during the induction.

When the ship is taken alongside the platform/ Barge to

transfer the passengers to the platform or the barge it
can be done by following methods-

Basket Transfer:- Transfer of personnel from basket is one of the

specific activities for offshore operations. There is no training
available to exercise this activity prior to the mobilization to
offshore and has to be faced as per the instructions given by the
banksman prior to transfer. Personnel wear life jacket/ work waist
and position themselves as shown in the figure and attached to
the barge crane/Platform crane and pulled safely over the deck.
Safety officer of the vessel/Platform will be present to help and
assist you for the safe transfer.

Boat Landing at Platform jacket:- This method involves lot of risks and proper attention shall be
given during the process. Generally a smaller boat (inflatable boat-Zodiac) is launched from the
barge/vessels carrying the personnel to be transferred and taken alongside the boat landing. As the

boat is unstable due to waves the person has to land on the boat landing platform with the help of
swing rope hanging from the platform (See the figure). Safety instructions given by the boatman
during the process shall be followed for safe transfer.

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Vessel to Vessel transfer:- Vessel to vessel or vessel to

barge transfer are done when the personnel arrive at
offshore travelling from boat. Vessel is taken alongside
the barge and personnel are given life jackets for
protection from drowning if the person falls overboard.
Vessel is moored to the barge and person is given signal
to jump from vessel to the barge. As the vessel and
barge both are unstable due to rolling and pitching this
activity is tricky and needs good timing to successfully
get to the other side otherwise there are chances that
person will be sandwiched between the two vessels if he falls overboard. There will be Ship Safety
Officer who will assist and guide you for the entire
course of this activity.

Gangway Transfer:- A gangway is the temporary

arrangement which can be attached or detached at
the platform or vessel for transfer of personnel from
both sides. This is the safest method of transfer but
during the transfer life jacket must be donned.

Safety during Stay: - Once the personnel are at offshore there they are provided accommodation at
Platform or Barge depending upon the project requirements. Offshore Installation Manager of the
platform has the authority to abandon platform in case of any emergency. Similarly Barge
superintendent/ vessel captain has authority to abandon the barge/vessel in case of any emergency.

The safety during stay can be divided into two ways-

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1. Safety during stay at Platform :- When the chopper lands at platform, one has to report to
radio room where the room will be allotted and will be directed to safety induction centre.
Safety officer of the platform will provide brief introduction about the process facilities,
Location of the muster station, Assigned life boat, different sounds of emergency alarms (in
case of fire, gas leak, platform abandon alarms). One must familiarise the sound of alarms
and associated warning. The allotted room will have life jackets for each member of the
room and it should be checked and tried by putting it on as method of donning the jacket
may differ for different type of jackets. The layout of platform and the emergency escape
route is displayed at the door/ wall of the room. Check your life boat number and per escape
route. Always wear helmets and safety shoes outside the living quarters. Smoking is not
allowed at platform. However smoking rooms/zones are made at certain locations to
prevent fire.
Safety drills are conducted at platform regularly to increase the awareness and
preparedness.
2. Safety during stay at barge/vessels :- The safety procedure is same for barges/vessels as
explained above except barges have no process facilities. However it may have hazardous
construction equipments and therefore helmets, eye glasses, protective gloves and safety
shoes must be donned outside the living room. Maintain safe distance from mooring ropes
during bad weather as it may prove lethal in case of rupture. Life jackets/work waist must be
donned whenever you are near the water.

Technical aspects of offshore field for safety awareness

Generally platforms have been in operation from decades and some of them need major revamps to
support the increasing load on the existing structures. Structures lose their strengths with the
passage of time due to corrosion. Platforms process gas containing hazardous substances and its
exposure could prove fatal to the person exposed. It is therefore necessary to be aware of the health
hazards pertinent to offshore fields. Major hazards are listed below-

1. Corroded structural members:- Corrosion reduces the strength of the steel. Most of the
members near jacket level are severely corroded as they come into contact with sea water
more than other members. Always check the material before putting your weight over the
member.
2. Missing handrails:- Sometimes handrails go missing in old platforms mainly at spider deck
level (Lowest structure that can be walked upon) due to failure of the material or misplaced.
Always ensure when moving downstairs or upstairs that hand rails are in place.
3. Always wear life jacket when in jacket level: - You are not allowed to visit jacket level
without life jacket or work vests. Life jacket and work vests will help in survival if the person
falls overboard.
4. Gas leaks:- there is risk of gas leak in process complex. Gases like H2s are highly toxic,
heavier than air and colorless gas. At low concentration it smells like rotten eggs and at high
concentration deadens the sense of smell. You can not depend on your nose to detect H2S.
Alram will sound whenever there is leak. Stay alert.

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5. Bad weather :- Always keep yourself updated to weather conditions like high wind speeds,
cyclones, rains etc and follow the OIM/barge superintendent instructions in bad weather.
Avoid getting close to mooring ropes.

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