Casualty analysis methodology and taxonomy for FPSO accident analysis

This paper proposes a taxonomy, named CASFOP (Casualty Analysis Methodology for FPSO Operations), for the analysis and codification of accidents in Floating Production Storage and Offloading units. The taxonomy incorporates the contribution of human and organizational factors to the accidental events, derived from the CASMET (Casualty Analysis Methodology for Maritime Operations) methodology that has been developed for accidents of conventional ships. The objective of the taxonomy for FPSO accident analysis is to integrate various causal factors (or elements of codification) related to the FPSO system and to formulate an event-orientated common framework for the representation of the chain of accidental events that lead to the accident and their root causes. The application of the suggested methodology is demonstrated with the analysis of the Cidade de Sao Mateus FPSO accident. The events involved and the underlying factors are coded according to the proposed CASFOP taxonomy. The application of the present taxonomy is also tested against a well-known human factor analysis taxonomy and the relevance of both taxonomies is discussed. The proposed taxonomy has revealed a greater number of refined human factors and root causes responsible for the accidents. It is also found to better capture the various dimensions of events from event initiation to the consequence of the accident. This approach can be used as an efficient tool for accident analysis, safety assessment and improving the reporting system in FPSOs and other floating installations such as Tension-leg Platforms and Semi-submersibles and Jack-up units.