Flare boom inspection with wind, crane SIMOPS and an incomplete rescue plan
You are the Level 3 supervisor on an offshore production platform. The task is to inspect 14 riser guide clamps and the flare boom tip, 42 m above sea level. Wind is 18 knots gusting 25; your company's rope access limit is 20 knots. Sea state is moderate. A helicopter is due in two hours, and the deck crane is moving pipe below the work area. The permit is for 'rope access inspection, flare boom, 06:00–18:00'. The rescue plan says 'standby vessel will recover a casualty' but gives no rope rescue method, roles or response time. The painted anchor points have no recent inspection or NDT; one 8-year-old sling is in the kit. Your team is you, one Level 2 and one Level 1. The personal gas monitor reads 0 ppm. The client wants the flare boom signed off before the helicopter arrives.
1. Do you proceed? What conditions must be met before the flare boom is accessed?
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No, not on the current information. Wind is 18 knots gusting 25 and the company limit is 20 knots; the gust already exceeds the limit, and the flare boom tip is exposed. Check the forecast and the actual anemometer at the work position, not just deck level. The rescue plan is not task-specific: 'standby vessel will recover' does not cover a suspended unconscious technician at 42 m, a rope transfer or a platform-based lower. The anchor points have no recent inspection/NDT, and an 8-year-old sling needs inspection and certification. The crane is moving pipe below, creating dropped-object and collision risk; helicopter operations in two hours add vibration, noise and an emergency response constraint.
Conditions before launch: wind within limit and stable for the duration; anchors inspected by a competent person and accepted; sling inspected and in date; permit reviewed for the actual task and SIMOPS; crane stopped or a safe exclusion established; helicopter operations deconflicted; rescue plan written, briefed and drilled with equipment rigged; radios and emergency response tested. If any condition fails, do not launch.
2. What must a task-specific rescue plan contain for this job?
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It must identify the credible rescue scenarios: technician suspended after a fall, unconscious or injured and unable to self-rescue; rescue from the flare boom tip; rescue at a changeover or knot pass; anchor failure; and medical evacuation. For each scenario it must state who performs the rescue (platform rope rescue team, standby vessel or helicopter), how they access the casualty, the lowering/hauling system, the backup system and the estimated response time. Include roles and names, communication channels, first aid and stretcher packaging, the extraction route, and the decision point for vessel versus platform rescue.
The plan must be briefed to all three technicians and the control room, with a drill or walk-through before work. It must account for the 42 m height, sea state, wind and helicopter operations. 'Standby vessel will recover' alone is not a plan; the vessel may not be able to approach or may take too long.
3. What do you do about the painted anchors and the 8-year-old sling?
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Quarantine the sling until inspected by a competent person; age alone does not condemn it, but UV damage, abrasion, cuts, chemical damage and missing certification do. Use only anchors that are on the approved schedule and inspected. Painted anchors can hide cracks, corrosion and previous modifications. If an anchor is not documented, arrange inspection/NDT by a competent person and engineering acceptance before loading it. Use independent primary and backup anchors; do not use one anchor for both ropes. If no compliant anchor exists, relocate the task or use an alternative access method. Record the anchor and sling checks in the permit and pre-use inspection.