From 21 to 23 August 2018, the PSA carried out an audit of Equinor and the management of operational risk for Hammerfest LNG.

The Hammerfest LNG onshore facility is at Melkøya off Hammerfest and receives and processes natural gas from the Snøhvit field.

Through its investigations of incidents and ordinary audits, over time the PSA has found that deficiencies can occur in the companies’ management of operational risk.

In this audit, we therefore wanted to place an emphasis on the management of risk both in day-to-day operations and in responses and actions in extraordinary situations, and how this is incorporated into a barrier perspective.

Objective

The objective of the audit was to verify that necessary barriers have been established at Hammerfest LNG and that there is a system for managing risk in the operational phase.

Result

Our general impression from the audit is a positive one.

The audit identified no regulatory non-conformities, but three improvement points within the following areas:

  • Information for and training of newly employed operators on risks when performing work
  • Night work
  • Mapping of benzene exposure

We have asked Equinor for its assessment of the improvement points we observed by 30 November 2018.