• Published: February 2011
• REF/ISBN: 9780852935880
• Edition: 2nd
• Status: New

This document aims to assist operators of offshore installations, drilling facilities and onshore plants with the management of Flexible Hose Assemblies (FHAs) through provision of controls and procedures that are necessary to ensure continued integrity throughout their entire lifecycle from design through to decommissioning.

Loss of FHA integrity can result in the release of hazardous substances which in turn can compromise safety; potentially leading to a major hazard event or a reportable environmental incident. On many installations especially offshore, integrity failure leading to a hydrocarbon release can also lead to production shutdown with the attendant commercial impact of revenue losses.

The document provides information to enable the development of a robust strategy for deployment of FHAs and assists operators with maintaining integrity during service involving development of a performance-based management strategy ­which includes the use of risk based assessments to categorise each application which in turn, is used to shape the inspection and replacement strategy. It also includes the assurance of personnel competency, which is seen as key to the management of the design and application of FHAs throughout their whole life cycle.

This publication will be of use to managers, design engineers, operators, technicians, contractors and inspectors, and all parties concerned with the safety and environmental issues associated with operating both offshore and onshore oil and gas facilities and similar industries such as petrochemical plant and refineries.

Although instigated by, and produced for, the UK offshore industry, guidance provided by this title is regarded as being applicable to industries throughout the world deploying FHAs for various applications. This document is a revised version of the Flexible hose management guidelines, first issued in 2003 by United Kingdom Offshore Operators Association (UKOOA; now Oil and Gas UK), and co-sponsored by the Institute of Petroleum (IP; now the Energy Institute) and the Health and Safety Executive.