Two recent papers have demonstrated that the focus on risk reduction and elimination of uncertainties in early project development phases have been weak in the industry as well as in the administration. The two papers are available here and here.

With the new financial climate, will there be opportunities for ALARP, risk reduction and reduction of uncertainties, or do we have to accept that economy shall be prioritized before HES? PSA has on the other hand stated that no lenience in safety is acceptable, safety improvement shall be done in parallel with cost reduction!

Our view is that risk reduction and elimination of uncertainties in early project development phases will be even more important in the new financial climate than in the past. It is claimed that early project phases give the best opportunities for risk reduction at a low price. Therefore, risk reduction in the early development project phases should be focused on more in this climate, not less.

The papers referred to above were based on a few recent case studies. It will be interesting to follow this up in the future, with the most recent new projects, not the least the Johan Sverdrup development.