ENGR 100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 23: Piper Alpha, Management System, Sustainable Engineering
Document Summary
An explosion and resulting fire destroyed it on july 6, 1988, killing 167 men. Total insured loss was about 1. 7 billion pounds. The platform accounted for around 10% of the oil and gas production from the north sea. As details of the causes of the disaster emerged every offshore operator undertook wide- ranging assessments of their installations and management systems. Improvements to permit to work management systems. Relocation of some pipeline emergency shutdown valves. Wind loads tested perpendicular to building as required by law, but not at 45 degrees. Welded joints replaced by bolts without calculating what would happen with wind loads acting on two surfaces of the curtain wall at the same time. Lemessurier"s company used 1:1 safety factor for trusses used instead of the 1:2 safety factor for columns. Lemessurier had a duty of care to the public to fix the design.
