Personnel safety in offshore environments is a critical concern due to the high-risk operations involving oil and gas extraction. Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) provides a systematic approach to identify, analyse, and mitigate potential hazards in these challenging settings. This paper explores the application of QRA in assessing offshore safety risks, focusing on evaluating accident scenarios such as hydrocarbon leaks, explosions, fires, occupational hazards, and structural failures. Incorporating statistical models and historical incident data into the analysis, QRA quantifies the likelihood and consequences of hazardous events, offering a clear perspective on individual risk per annum (IRPA) and potential loss of life (PLL) for offshore personnel. Integrating drones into offshore operations significantly enhances safety and risk management, especially for Remote, Normally Unmanned Offshore Production Platforms (RNUOPP). Using drones is theoretically foreseen to reduce the PLL and lower the IRPA. Drones provide real-time, high-resolution data that improve the accuracy of QRA models by facilitating frequent and detailed inspections of critical infrastructure, such as pipelines, flare stacks, and other hard-to-reach areas, without exposing personnel to hazardous conditions. By enabling early detection of equipment deterioration, corrosion, or structural issues, drones help prevent accidents before they escalate, significantly reducing the likelihood of catastrophic events like explosions or spills. This proactive approach minimises the potential for accidents and decreases PLL by reducing worker exposure to high-risk tasks. Furthermore, by automating inspections and eliminating the need for personnel to conduct dangerous manual tasks, drone usage directly lowers IRPA, enhancing overall offshore safety.
Leong et al. (Wed,) studied this question.