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Safety
The safety and security of our employees, our contractors and the communities in which we operate is the number one priority for the Corrib gas partners.
With safety in mind, every option for the design of the Corrib project was considered. Offshore processing was examined and deemed to be less safe, involving the transportation of workers to an offshore platform in difficult weather conditions.
The Corrib field will be developed as a subsea production facility with onshore processing. This is not only the safest option but also the most environmentally and technically viable, representing best international practice for a field of this type.
Safety and the Corrib Gas Pipeline
Shell’s many gas plants and pipelines worldwide operate without negative impact on local communities. The Corrib pipeline design has been subjected to a thorough Quantified Risk Assessment, which has been evaluated by the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources as well as independent experts.
The normal operating pressure in the pipeline will be up to 120 bar. This will reduce in accordance with the pressure in the Corrib reservoir falling as the gas supply depletes.
In 2005, the then Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources (now DCENR) commissioned consultant company, Advantica, to carry out an independent safety review to address concerns regarding the safety of the onshore section of the Corrib pipeline.
The findings of this review were published in 2006 and concluded that “proper consideration was given to safety issues in the selection process for the preferred design option and the locations of the landfall, pipeline route and terminal.”
In their report, Advantica made a number of recommendations suggesting that if followed “there will be a substantial safety margin in the pipeline design and the pipeline design and proposed route should be accepted as meeting or exceeding international standards in terms of acceptability of risk and international best practice for high pressure pipelines.”
Recognising that the implementation of Advantica’s recommendations would further enhance the safety of the pipeline, the Corrib Gas Partners committed to implementing all conditions. Most significantly, a Landfall Valve Installation has been incorporated into the design to automatically shut off the pressure from offshore in the very unlikely event that the pressure in the onshore pipeline should rise towards 144 bar.
Onshore Safety Pipeline Brochure (PDF, 4848 KB) - opens in new window
Safety and the Corrib Gas Terminal
Construction Phase
The Corrib Gas Partners have placed a premium on site safety at the gas terminal - once the largest construction site in the country with more than 1000 employees.
Construction sites, by their nature, can be hazardous so promoting and developing a culture of safe working is vital.
All workers are given a safety induction and there are regular “toolbox talks” at which the emphasis on safety is stressed. The Contractor of the Month Award was introduced by CMC - the construction management company – as part of a promotion to ensure the highest safety standards on the site.
In November 2008 a significant milestone was reached on the Corrib gas terminal when the workforce achieved one million work hours free from lost time injury (LTI). This was recognised at one of the Workforce Safety Standdowns, organised on a quarterly basis to communicate key safety themes to the entire workforce at the site.
As part of it’s safety at work programme, the Corrib Gas Partners give workers the opportunity to complete a Defensive Driving Course. This includes theory and practical training and is designed to encourage drivers commuting to and from work to behave in a safe and courteous manner.
The safety and welfare of workers is always the number one priority and they are encouraged to apply the safety message to all their daily activities, whether at work or at home.
Operational Phase
Shell E&P Ireland Limited is part of Shell’s EP Europe organisation, which has extensive experience in operating subsea developments and has safely operated major onshore and offshore gas fields in Europe since the 1960s.
The overall health, safety and environmental goal for the Corrib development project is that the development and its associated activities shall not give rise to accidents, personnel injuries or ill health, or to material losses or damage to the environment.
To achieve this the terminal has been designed in accordance with all relevant standards and codes. Hazard identification activities and Hazard and Operability Studies from integral parts of the engineering effort for the project, and will be conducted to cover design, installation, construction, commissioning, start-up, normal operations, maintenance and decommissioning activities. All personnel activities will be carried out in accordance with the requirements of the Safety and Welfare at Work Act, 1989 as amended.