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48 Offshore Center Danmark
Yearbook 2008
issues, e.g. working place environment and
hygiene issues. When applying for permission,
companies must show that all the elements
of the new law have been collected in a
plan taking into consideration overall safety
and the health issues, Hans Erik Christensen
explains.
The ALARP-principle takes over
- The starting point in the renewal of the law
was safety and health risk considerations.
Hence companies are requited to evaluate
the safety and health risks present, and
decrease them as much as possible – using
the so-called ALARP principle: “As Low as
Reasonably Practicable”. This principle is to
a certain extent taken from the UK offshore
safety legislations and today widespread to
all oil producing nations in the North Sea.
The companies must state how they consider
the ALARP principle e.g. which risks are
present, and how does the company reduce or
remove these risks. Considerations must also
be taken at all times to what are the technical
and operational costs in order to reduce the
actual risks. If the costs turn out to be unreasonable
high compared to the benefi ts, then
the company is eligible to omit rectifi cations
to procedures and structures – quoting the
ALARP principle.
- Otherwise it would sometimes be very
costly to make just marginal reductions of
risks, e.g. when entire offshore structures
would have to be changed. This aspect has
been considered in the new law. For the same
reason, the Danish Energy Authority must
evaluate and approve the risk considerations
of new installations constructed by the