Operational Risk Management - Managing Emerging Risk to Maintain ALARP.

ADNOC is a complex ensemble of hazardous operations handling toxic, flammable and corrosive substances with major accidents potential. Considering inherent risks associated with their operations, each plant and operation is designed with a suite of barriers for prevention, control and mitigation of major accidents so the risk remains ALARP.

In principle, when all operations are performed within the defined parameters, the existing barriers are well maintained and proven to function as intended, the risk of major accidents continues to be ALARP. However, operating sites are dynamic and regularly encounter various anomalies and situations causing degradation of the existing barriers and thus increasing the risk above ALARP or even to unacceptable level. These emerging risks require continual and systematic efforts to identify and manage such situations until the degraded barrier is restored, and the ALARP status is reinstated.

To manage these risks, ADNOC developed and implemented Operational Risk Management (ORM) platform which is intended to provide a holistic approach to identifying and managing emerging Asset Integrity and Process Safety (AIPS) risks in ADNOC facilities.

ORM provides:

1. Unified approach to identification, reporting and management of emerging AIPS risks
2. Defining comprehensive workflow outlining the process from risk initiation till closure
3. Establishing clear roles and responsibility including accountabilities for risk and ownership, stewardship and governance
4. Establishing clear mechanism for risk escalation and mitigation
5. Visualization of risk via heat maps and registers
6. Platform for risk reviews and follow ups

RM platform was co-developed by the Group Asset Integrity function and key Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) in Asset Integrity, Process Safety, and Digital. The implementation followed a structured project management approach, including stakeholder engagement, requirements gathering, system design, user testing, and rollout.

Key elements of implementation:

• Data Integration: Existing risk reporting mechanicms across 14 operating companies were harmonized, ensuring consistency in risk definitions and reporting requirements. Legacy data sets were validated and migrated securely. Existing reporting mechanisms were interfaced to avoid duplicate workflows and consolidation of all types of barrier degradations.
• Training & Onboarding: Detailed walkthrough sessions, manuals, and digital guides were developed to onboard 100+ users. Feedback loops were built in for iterative improvements.
• Governance & Quality Assurance: A governance framework was embedded to review integrity of reported data with data validation.

This initiative contributes significantly to the wider goal of process safety excellence and environmental protection. By enabling real-time tracking of AIPS risks, the platform helps prevent catastrophic incidents, reduce emissions, and improve operational reliability.