Due Diligence
Case Studies

An explosion occurred when a process vessel was overpressurised during a process upset because a manual valve in the pressure relief vent had been left closed. Originally, it was intended to be normally left closed as a maintenance isolation valve, but a process change required it to be operated on a regular basis. Our investigation revealed that the original design basis was correct and that there had been no proper assessment of the change of use. There was no safeguard against human error because the procedure for locking the valve and checking its position had fallen into disuse.

We reviewed the front end engineering design (FEED) relating to a funding proposal for an oilfield development in a remote marine environment to identify major environmental, health and safety issues. The objective was to predict the main risks and impacts, in accordance with World Bank EHS Guidelines for Offshore Oil & Gas Development, OSHAS 18001:2007, UK health and safety legislation and good industry practice. The main adverse findings related to the impact of the remote location on emergency evacuation and the unavailability of vendor support.