Analysis of the Incident Pyramid to Assess the Expected Prevented Damage

Energy systems are the key elements of critically important infrastructures, as they provide the required quality of life for the population, as well as create the required conditions for the reliable functioning of various sectors of the economy. One of the priority tasks is to ensure the safe functioning of such systems, while in recent years considerable attention is paid to proactive methods of ensuring safe-ty. Within the framework of these methods, the main efforts are aimed at early identification of violations and deviations in the operation or maintenance of the facility. Construction and use of the pyramid of incidents is one of the areas of the implementation of a proactive approach. Currently, the incident pyramids are used as a convenient form of graphical interpretation of statistical data, as well as one of the tools for ensuring the safety of hazardous production facilities. The analysis of statistical data on incidents and detected violations at energy facilities is presented in the article. The performed analysis allowed to construct the corresponding pyramids of incidents for industrial and occupational safety, and also to reveal that the ratio between the levels of the pyramid significantly depends on the specific type of system or energy facility. The possibility is shown concerning the use of the pyramid of incidents to assess the direct and indirect expected prevented damage in case of elimination of the identified violations. The examples are given related to the assessment of the amount of prevented damage for the energy facilities, and the practice of using this index as one of the indicators of the efficiency of inspection control activities in the oil and gas industry is described. © 2023, STC Industrial Safety CJSC. All rights reserved.