Escape, Evacuation and Rescue Analysis (EERA)

The question EERA answers

Every site has escape routes and a muster point. An escape, evacuation and rescue analysis asks a harder question: do they still work during the specific accidents this plant can actually have?

A muster point that sits downwind of the tank farm, or a stairway that passes through the radiation footprint of the flare, is worse than no plan at all - because people have been trained to go there.

How the analysis runs

• Take the major accident scenarios from the QRA and consequence analysis - jet fire, pool fire, flash fire, toxic release, explosion overpressure
• Overlay each hazard footprint on the escape routes, stairways, muster areas and evacuation means
• Check impairment - which routes and which muster areas are unusable in which scenario, and for how long
• Compare the time available for escape against the time required, including detection, alarm, reaction and travel
• Assess the temporary refuge, where one exists, for smoke and gas ingress and for endurance time
• Recommend changes - relocating a muster area, adding an alternative route, shielding a stairway, or revising the emergency procedure

Where it is required

EERA is standard practice offshore and increasingly expected onshore for major accident hazard installations, where the on-site emergency plan required under the MSIHC Rules has to be demonstrably workable rather than merely documented.