Environmental risk assessment and management in offshore drilling rigs in the Persian Gulf using the EFMEA method

Considering the numerous environmental risks of oil and gas industries, the environmental risk assessment of these activities is considered one of the most important aspects of identifying and providing management solutions to reduce these risks. The current research aims to identify environmental risk aspects and provide practical and preventive solutions to reduce or eliminate environmental effects in offshore drilling rigs located in South Pars region using the method of Environmental Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (EFMEA). In order to evaluate the aspects of environmental risk, the risk priority number was determined based on objective observations, interviews with management, supervisors and employees in drilling rigs, and the degree of risk was calculated using the frequency distribution method. The results of this research showed that the aspects of environmental risk at low, medium, high and very high-risk levels were equal to 3, 3, 13 and 80%, respectively, and after applying control measures, the percentage of risk was equal to 9, 19, 28 and 44 were evaluated. The increase in the percentage of medium to high level environmental risks was due to the significant reduction of very high risks and their placement in these classes. Based on the obtained results, well eruption, leakage, and spreading of chemical substances respectively had the highest risk number in the current study, and by applying control measures, the amount of environmental risk resulting from them was significantly reduced. Based on this, it can be said that the EFMEA method had a high potential to reduce environmental risks.