Control of Documentation & Safety

Mismanagement of documentation can have serious consequences. Document Control is critical to ensure safety of operations. 

The history of industrial accidents is filled with examples of failure of Engineering Control as well as poor documentation management.

Let's go over a few examples here:

The Flixborough accident of 1974, claimed the lives of 28 people and seriously injured 36 people

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flixborough_disaster

Reasons investigated

Among the reasons investigated, the management of documentation or to incorrect use of information:

• No drawing of the temporary modification
  
• Insufficiently documented risk assessment
  
• No formal assessment and no formal report of risks
  
• Non-compliance with standards related to pipelines

In 1988  the Piper Alpha accident claimed the lives of 167 people.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piper_Alpha

Reasons investigated

• No formal assessment and no formal report of risks
  
• Inadequate management of permit-to-work system and pertaining documentation on the platform
  
• No training on the permit-to-work system on the platform
  
• No action taken on reports of known deficiencies and no action taken on return on experience from previous incidents

If you wish to know more about the risks of poor documentation management, have a look at our online course "Module 3: Document Control Risks & Benefits"

What is Document Control?