The Piper Alpha Disaster - Assignment Example

2). In the late 1980s, several maintenance projects were being undertaken, including the changing of the GCM. During this time, the platform was still in operation. On July 6, 1988, a catastrophic fire engulfed the platform, destroying it completely and killing 167 people. On the fateful day of July 6, 1988, one of the workers performing routine maintenance on the platform removed a valve from one of the condensate pumps, pump A. The pump was used to regulate pressure in the event of excessive pressure.

In an attempt to seal the open valve, the worker used a round metal plate. The plate was left in place after the shift change that evening, and a permit stating that the pump was not ready for use was left by the worker. At around 9.45 p.m., the gas compression system was blocked by ice and gas molecules. As a result, the other pump, pump B, failed. The workers on shift that night failed to see the permit saying pump A was not ready for use, and activated it (NASA, 2013, p. 3). According to an article in the Energy Library (2009), the nightshift workers did not see the permit stating that the pump was missing a safety valve.

Gas leaked through the metal plate and ignited. Although firewalls were in place, the pressure from the burning gas was large enough to cause them to crumble. Although the incoming gas and oil lines were closed, the fire spread through the damaged firewalls. The workers on duty that night evacuated the control room, and the firefighting systems in the control room were in manual mode (Barsa & Dana, 2011 p. 43). This made it impossible for the disaster to be managed. The workers were unable to get to the lifeboat stations due to the intense flames (Allen, 2008 p. 5). Moments later, one of the gas lines burst, injecting close to 30 tons of gas every second to Piper Alpha.

The platform ignited. In addition, one of the rescue vessels exploded due to the high temperatures, killing