Functional Resonance Analysis Method (FRAM) Approach for Barrier Management in Offshore Drilling

As a part of risk management, barrier management proves to be one of the critical factors in maintaining a safe state for operation in the oil and gas industry. With the introduction of non-traditional school of thought (Safety-I vs. Safety-II) on what safety is and how to achieve it, methods such as Functional Resonance Analysis Method (FRAM) have been developed to map sociotechnical systems from a different perspective. FRAM’s potential to be used explicitly in barrier management has yet to be demonstrated. Thus, this study aims to find out how FRAM, as a Safety-II approach, can add value to the barrier management in offshore drilling. To find the suitability of FRAM in barrier management and its potential, firstly, the concepts of risk management, barrier management and FRAM were reviewed. Then, the FRAM approach has been applied to an offshore well production based on its designed barrier system regarding the kick and blowout risks as one of the common risks in offshore industry. The FRAM model was then compared to a traditional (Safety-I) representation of the system, bowtie approach, and the advantages and disadvantages of both methods were discussed. The conclusion of this study is the application of FRAM in barrier management can be beneficial. Not only it indicates the interdependencies of the system, but also provides the analyst with additional information for decision making. FRAM in this study is not replacing a wildly used bowtie method for barrier management. Still, while acknowledging Safety-I’s advantages, it brings out its limitations and provides the analyst with a more comprehensive decision-making support tool.