Whilst, Scramble Nets has been considered as tertiary means of escape to sea, DONUT Personal Control Descent Device is a better alternative and certainly would improve Evacuation, Escape and Rescue during unwanted incidents in Oil and Gas facilities.
Below are some discussions on DONUT system compared to conventional methods of Evacuation.
- Scramble nets are awkward and difficult to use and require periodic inspection.
- Knotted ropes are both physically and mentally very demanding to use, especially if the evacuee is wearing a Survival Suit or Life Jacket
- Chutes are fixed entity, which may be rendered inoperative if the cause of the emergency is in the area where the chute is situated.
- DONUT is both lightweight and portable. It can be deployed from any safe area on the Platform or Installation
- It can be used with any other combination of Survival equipment found onboard the Platform
- Users do not have to wait their turn to use the equipment
- It can be used during an escape to Liferaft, where a strop is attached to the Liferafts Painter Line allowing a guided descent to the Liferaft, thus preventing the risk of being washed once in the water.
- The user can lock off the DONUT device above the water, awaiting Rescue remaining visible and more importantly dry.
- The DONUT is fitted with a non-spark chemical Lightstick allowing the user to illuminate their descent or attract attention.