The Unseen Safety Risks and Solutions of Oil & Gas Decommissioning

For many professionals in the oil and gas sector, platform decommissioning is an inevitable part of their career. It’s crucial, therefore, for everyone in the industry to understand that the safety risks associated with decommissioning go far beyond the obvious.

We’ve provided an overview of the key dangers to address in every project, along with equipment recommendations to help mitigate these risks.

The Risks of Oil & Gas Decommissioning

The reasons behind the many risks present during decommissioning projects are straightforward:

  •  A wide range of complex on-site activities: Decommissioning can involve physical and radiological characterisation, site and facility decontamination, dismantling, materials handling, and more. Each stage introduces its own set of hazards.
  • Significant fire and explosion risks: Many decommissioning tasks carry fire or explosion hazards, some of which may be less obvious but no less dangerous.

It’s no coincidence that offshore oil and gas decommissioning is heavily regulated. In the UK, it falls under the Petroleum Act 1998, which governs the decommissioning of offshore installations and pipelines on the United Kingdom Continental Shelf (UKCS). In the US, similar oversight is enforced through the terms of issued drilling permits. Comparable legal obligations are also in place in many other offshore jurisdictions worldwide.

The legislation demands that every project:

  1. Identifies all equipment, infrastructure and materials.
  2. Describes how each will be decommissioned.

Supervising this legal requirement falls to the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning (OPRED), which sits within a UK Government department.

Rather than focusing on the equipment, infrastructure, and materials involved in decommissioning, let’s look at some of the key risk factors that can lead to fire or explosion during the process.

  • Friction or impact.
  • Ignition by flame, spark or heat.
  • Electrostatic discharge.
  • Ignition of solvent vapour or dust.
  • Explosive materials in confined spaces.
  • Presence of explosive material in operational drains, in redundant equipment or process pipelines and in ducts.
  • Existing ‘human errors’ such as poor maintenance, previous inadequate removal of explosive materials, poor control of equipment and lack of historic information on the previous use of old facilities.
  • Decommissioning project errors including inadequate procedures, lack of operative knowledge of the presence (or properties) of explosive materials and inadequate marking/control of plant or buildings requiring treatment outside the process area.

It’s clear that a combination of factors already existing on a platform, combined with risks caused by a poor approach to decommissioning, can create a large number of fire or explosion hazards.

Mitigating the Risk

As with any oil and gas project, the risk assessment phase is critical in identifying and minimising the potential for fire or explosion during decommissioning activities. A thorough risk assessment typically focuses on three key areas of mitigation:

1. Training

This includes ensuring personnel are competent to work in environments where explosive atmospheres may be present or emergency responses may be required.

2. On-site behaviours and policies

Mitigations here include maintaining vigilance, having clear procedures for changing conditions or emerging risks, avoiding equipment that could cause ignition, and controlling access to work zones by limiting non-essential personnel.

3. Equipment selection

Choosing the right equipment is essential, as it directly affects the safety of those using it. Equipment should be carefully specified by experienced professionals to reduce ignition risks and enhance safety.

Proven Equipment for Oil & Gas Decommissioning

Our specialists often highlight the close connection between equipment safety and efficiency—for a simple reason: the less time operatives spend in hazardous areas, the lower the overall risk.

Many SA Equip products used on oil and gas platforms worldwide are specifically designed to strike this balance. Each hazardous area certified solution is developed in the UK with portability, ease of use, durability, and reliability at its core. This helps teams work faster and safer in high-risk environments. 

Highly recommended equipment for oil & gas decommissioning includes:

Safe and Efficient Lighting

The SA LUMIN EX LED Worklight 100 is a popular choice for decommissioning thanks to its lightweight (1.8kg), low power use (29W at 110V), and bright 180° output of up to 4000 lumens. For full 360° illumination, the SA LUMIN EX Worklight 200 delivers up to 8000 lumens.

Safe and Efficient Ventilation

The SA CYCLONE EX Air Mover is designed for safely extracting hazardous vapours, delivering up to 5,179 m³/hr airflow. Paired with flexible anti-static ducting, it ensures smooth, reliable performance in explosive environments.

Safe and Efficient Power

Oil and gas sector professionals worldwide rely on the SA POWERNET 3.8KVA PNLT Transformer due to its extreme durability and ease of use. Weighing in at under 60kg (without cable) and developed to fit two on a Euro pallet, this unit is highly compact.

SA Equip supports clients worldwide in achieving safe, efficient lighting, heating, and ventilation in the most challenging environments. With in-house product development capabilities, the team can also deliver bespoke solutions tailored to specific project needs.

Built on deep expertise from some of the toughest shipping and oil industry conditions, SA Equip now serves sectors including heavy industry, aerospace, defence, utilities, pharmaceuticals, distilling, and power generation. Get in touch with our expert team today.