Hazard Identification when Implementing a Construction Facility of Oil-Refining Plant by Contractors

The goal of the study is to develop risk management tools during the construction of an oil-refining plant. The study provides an investigation of hazards caused by contractors engaged in the construction of a large oil-refining plant; the dependences of hazard occurrence on conditions, number of employees, and types of jobs have been established; key risks of construction have been identified; and risk management tools with the identification of proactive barriers reducing risk levels and reactive barriers minimizing consequences of potential accidents during the construction have been proposed. The study is based on real initial statistical data relying on the practices of successful construction of a similar facility. The construction was implemented in accordance with a typical model used by large-scale oil-refining companies: via a special general construction contractor engaging subcontractors (more than 2000 employees). The construction of the plant was time- and area-restricted. The changes in number of employees were non-stationary. The construction of the plant included the stages of pre-commissioning and commissioning. The study results and the proposed risk management tools have been tested and are valuable for organizing an occupational safety management system during the construction of large facilities.