Our Arctic Neighbors: Safety level high at Norwegian LNG plant

Norway’s Petroleum Safety Authority has conducted an audit of StatoilHydro and selected contractors relating to management of working-environment conditions at the Melkoya LNG plant, which is part of the offshore Snohvit project in the Barents Sea. The audit, which took place in mid-November, focused on how StatoilHydro identifies and follows up groups in relation to the risks they are exposed to in the working environment.

“We have observed that systematic work takes place to improve the working environment on Melkoya,” the authority said in a release Dec. 23. “Among other things, an overview has been established of requirements in the working environment area, and StatoilHydro has employed an occupational health technician who has conducted verifications and measurements as regards chemicals and noise. We have also seen that both StatoilHydro and the main contractors BIS, Aibel and ESS … have procedures in place to follow up employees on sick leave.”

The authority identified one nonconformity in relation to the regulatory requirements: The systematic mapping and risk assessment of working environment factors on the part of groups employed by contractors is inadequate. Improvements could also be made in the areas of follow-up and facilitation for employees with reduced ability to work; overview and follow-up of occupational illness on the part of contractors; training regarding working environment risk for groups employed by contractors; and assessments of the overall exposure situation and hazards that could cause injuries, the PSA said.

—Sarah Hurst