Inspection of Temporary Refuge Integrity

A Temporary Refuge (TR) tests on an offshore platform

A Temporary Refuge (TR) provides an important component of safety on an offshore platform and most offshore safety cases attribute high availability and survivability of the TR as a key component in establishing an acceptable risk profile for the installation.

The UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) defines the TR as: "a place where personnel can muster safely in an emergency, monitor and assess the developing situation, and either take control action or initiate evacuation.

High integrity requirements over ships

For a Temporary Refuge (TR), testing is the only practical method due to the higher integrity requirements over ships.

The most widely used test of air tightness is a pressure or “blower door” test whereby a fan is used to pressurise
an entire ship.

The blower door refers to the method of mounting the fan and associated measuring apparatus in a
replacement door.