What Went Wrong?

Chapter 34. Leaks

In safety what matters is not who did it, but what was done, and how.—Roger Ford, Modern Railways

Section 9.1 quotes figures showing that most leaks occur from pipes or pipe fittings (such as valves), often because contractors did not follow either instructions or good work practices when details were left to their discretion. The actions suggested to prevent such leaks included specifying designs in detail and carrying out better inspection during and after construction. This is broadly confirmed by a more recent paper [1] that analyzed 270 leaks on offshore oil platforms. The locations of the leaks were as follows:

Small diameter pipes	18%
Other pipes	43%
Valves	12%
Total pipes and pipe fittings	73%
Vessels	8%
Seals	8% ...