Blowout preventer (BOP)
Definition
A large specialised valve or series of valves installed at the wellhead of an oil or gas well to seal, control, and monitor the well. The BOP is the last physical barrier between the well pressure and the rig; its failure in the Deepwater Horizon disaster removed the final layer of protection.
Related terms
- Active failure
- An error or rule violation by a front-line operator whose effects are felt immediately. Active failures are the triggers Reason calls 'unsafe...
- Bow-tie analysis
- A risk-visualisation method combining a fault tree (left of the bow-tie, hazard to critical event) with an event tree (right, critical event...
- Latent condition
- In Reason's model, a pre-existing organisational weakness (poor design, defective procedure, unrealistic scheduling, inadequate training) that lies dormant until aligned with other...
- Safety Management System (SMS)
- A formal, documented framework of policies, procedures, responsibilities, and performance monitoring through which an organisation identifies hazards, assesses risks, and manages safety...
- Swiss Cheese Model
- James Reason's accident causation model representing each defensive barrier as a cheese slice with holes. An accident occurs when holes in successive...
Explained in
- Safety Management Systems and Systemic FailureA large specialised valve or series of valves installed at the wellhead of an oil or gas well to seal, control, and monitor the well. The BOP is the last physi...