Elsevier

Accident Analysis & Prevention

Volume 68, July 2014, Pages 156-171
Accident Analysis & Prevention

A conceptual framework and practical guide for assessing fitness-to-operate in the offshore oil and gas industry

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2013.12.005Get rights and content
Under a Creative Commons license
open access

Highlights

  • We outline a conceptual framework for fitness-to-operate (FTO).

  • We develop an assessment guide designed for offshore facilities.

  • The framework and guide provide new insights into safety capability.

Abstract

The paper outlines a systemic approach to understanding and assessing safety capability in the offshore oil and gas industry. We present a conceptual framework and assessment guide for understanding fitness-to-operate (FTO) that builds a more comprehensive picture of safety capability for regulators and operators of offshore facilities. The FTO framework defines three enabling capitals that create safety capability: organizational capital, social capital, and human capital. For each type of capital we identify more specific dimensions based on current theories of safety, management, and organizational processes. The assessment guide matches specific characteristics to each element of the framework to support assessment of safety capability. The content and scope of the FTO framework enable a more comprehensive coverage of factors that influence short-term and long-term safety outcomes.

Keywords

Offshore safety
Safety capability
Organizational assessment
Safety culture

Cited by (0)