• Our Courses
• Typical Course

HSE hydrocarbon release statistics show that over 10% of all reportable releases occur at flanged joints.

In July 2000, the HSE issued a safety notice (view Safety Notice 2/2000) as a result of two major incidents on offshore installations of hydrocarbon release caused by the incorrect torque being applied to bolting while assembling flanged joints. This notice states that:

• Flogging and impacting are highly inaccurate and should not be used
• Torque tightening and hydraulic bolt tensioning are specialist skills
• Only trained and competent personnel should undertake these activities, and they should use equipment which is correctly maintained and calibrated

Owners of offshore installations should ensure that personnel involved in supervising and performing these activities are adequately trained and competent to work on this equipment.

In June 2002, Hydratight contributed to the UK Oil and Gas issued document "Guidelines for the Management of Integrity of Bolted Pipe Joints". This document states that:

• Control of the competence of people working with joints is the most important factor in preventing leaks.
• To assist in maintaining ongoing competence, a record should be maintained of each individual’s mechanical jointing performance. This should comprise details of the types of joints the individual has worked on, whether the joints have performed satisfactorily, and details of any further training required.

In June 2007 Hydratight were invited to attend and contribute to the re-write of the UK Oil and Gas document entitled "Guidelines for the Management of the Integrity of Bolted Joints for Pressurised Systems", which is targeted for onshore COMAH sites as well as offshore.

See the Related Downloads below for the Bolted Joints guidelines flyer download.