Building resilience through the dynamic assessment of ageing process safety critical equipment

In the oil and gas industry, process safety critical equipment (PSCE) plays a vital role in ensuring the safe operation of facilities by preventing catastrophic incidents and mitigating risks. In this novel study, various methods were integrated to establish criteria for identifying PSCE and to assist employees, regardless of their safety background, in minimising risks associated with major accident hazards to a level as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP). A key challenge addressed by this study is the possibility of over-under classification of PSCE, which could lead to either recourse strain or dilute the focus on genuinely critical equipment. Instead, a targeted PSCE list enables more effective maintenance, inspection and safety strategies. Furthermore, upon identifying PSCE, this study also proposes an ageing assessment using an approved ontology that considers factors like equipment failure rates, near-misses, time in operation and deterioration mechanisms. These insights enable management to make risk-based decisions. The proposed methodology was successfully applied in a case study, demonstrating its effectiveness in optimizing PSCE within a facility. The research concludes with highlighting limitations, and recommendations for standardising PSCE identification methodologies across the industry and emphasizes the need for ongoing collaboration between industry stakeholders, researchers and regulatory bodies.