@article{ref1,
title="Managing fire risk onboard offshore platforms: Lessons from Piper Alpha and probabilistic assessment of risk reduction measures",
journal="Fire technology",
year="1995",
author="Pate-Cornell, E",
volume="31",
number="2",
pages="99-119",
abstract="The offshore oil platform Piper Alpha was destroyed in July 1988 by a catastrophic fire. The causes of the accident included a combination of technical and organizational factors. In this paper, I describe the accident, its chronology, and the dependencies involved. I then examine some of the human errors that led to the disaster and their organizational roots, such as economic pressures, the permit-to-work system, and the inadequacy of regulatory oversight in the United Kingdom at the time of the accident. Risk-reduction measures can be costly, however, and priorities must be set based on costs and benefits. To this end, I describe a probabilistic risk analysis model that can be used to assess the benefits of different fire safety measures, focusing on reinforcing the emergency water pumps.<p />",
language="",
issn="0015-2684",
doi="10.1007/BF01040708",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF01040708"
}