The facilities regulations § 5

§ 5 Design of facilities

Facilities shall be based on the most robust and simple solutions as possible, and designed so that
  1. no unacceptable consequences will occur if they are exposed to the loads as mentioned in Section 11,
  2. major accident risk is as low as possible,
  3. a failure in one component, system or a single mistake does not result in unacceptable consequences,
  4. the main safety functions as mentioned Section 7 are maintained,
  5. materials handling and transport can be carried out in an efficient and prudent manner, cf. Section 13,
  6. a safe working environment is facilitated, cf. Chapter IV,
  7. operational assumptions and restrictions are safeguarded in a prudent manner,
  8. barriers are established that can both detect abnormal conditions and reduce the potential for failures and hazard and accident situations developing, and which can restrict possible harm and disadvantages, cf. Section 5 of the Management Regulations,
  9. health-related matters are safeguarded in a prudent manner,
  10. the lowest possible risk of pollution is facilitated,
  11. prudent maintenance is facilitated.
Requirements for the performance of the individual barriers shall be defined, cf. Section 5 of the Management Regulations.
Measures to protect facilities against hazard and accident situations shall be based on a strategy, with reference to Section 5 of the Management Regulations.
The facilities shall be divided into main areas. The main areas shall be separated by fire and explosion divisions or sufficient physical distance to prevent escalation. Alternatively, a combination of physical divisions and sufficient distance may be used. Regardless of whether they are defined as main areas or not, areas shall have siting of equipment and layouts that contribute to good inherent safety characteristics and which reduce the risks associated with hazard and accident situations that may arise.
Areas where an explosive atmosphere may arise, shall be classified.
Areas occupied by personnel, or where safety-related equipment is located, shall not be exposed to waves with an annual likelihood greater than 1x10-2.
The area for storage of flammable and explosive items shall be designed to minimise the risk of and from fires and explosions. Simple provisions shall be in place to handle and remove explosives that may constitute a risk in the event of a hazard and accident situation.
Facilities with surface-completed wells without drilling fluid systems shall have installed or facilitated pumping and fluid capacity capable of controlling the well pressure.
Wells shall be designed so that well control can be regained by means of one (1) relief well. In special cases, wells can be designed for more than one (1) relief well.
Section last changed: 01 January 2015

For general requirements related to risk reduction, see Section 11 of the Framework Regulations and Chapters II and V of the Management Regulations.
To fulfil the design requirements as mentioned in the first subsection, the standards NS-EN ISO 13702 with appendices, NORSOK S-001 and S-002 should be used for the health and safety sections. For lifting equipment, the NORSOK R-002 standard should be used.
For mobile facilities that are not production facilities and that are registered in a national ship register, DNVGL-OS-A101 can be used as an alternative in the area covered by the standard.
In order to fulfil the strategy requirement as mentioned in the third subsection, the principles in the NS-EN ISO 13702 standard should be used for all hazard and accident situations.
In order to fulfil the requirements for design and siting referred to in the fourth subsection, the facility should be designed so that the potential for and consequences of accidents are reduced. Areas, equipment and functions should be arranged, sited and organised so as to, as far as possible,
  1. restrict the potential for the accumulation and spread of hazardous materials,
  2. restrict the potential for ignition,
  3. separate areas containing hazardous materials from each other and from other areas and
  4. reduce potential consequences of and the potential for escalation in the event of fire and explosion.
For classification of areas at risk of explosion as mentioned in the fifth subsection, the IEC 61892-7 standard should be used.
Area requirements as mentioned in the sixth subsection, can be fulfilled through both technical and operational measures.
For the design of the area for storing items as mentioned in the seventh subsection, the regulations on hazardous substances (in Norwegian only), the regulations on explosive materials (in Norwegian only) and Chapter 6.4.7 of the NORSOK S-001 standard should be used. For manned underwater operations, Chapter 7.6 of the NORSOK U-100N standard should be used in addition.
In the eighth subsection, facilitation means that it is practicable to make such a system available for use on the facility. This means, amongst other, that the facility is spatially and structurally suited for the siting of such a system, including in respect of weight and other loads. Alternatively, access to necessary pumping and fluid capacity may be arranged by other means. The requirement in the eighth subsection entails that necessary pumping and fluid capacity must be operationally available within a period of time that is considered prudent for assuring the function that the system is to have.