OISD Standards
Oil Industry Safety Directorate
OISD (Oil Industry Safety Directorate) Standards are the body of safety standards governing Indian petroleum, hydrocarbon, and petrochemical installations under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. OISD publishes over 200 standards covering layout, design, operation, maintenance, and safety across the hydrocarbon value chain. Compliance with relevant OISD standards is mandatory for every Indian refinery, petrochemical plant, oil terminal, and LPG installation.
Oil Industry Safety Directorate (OISD) is a regulatory body under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG), Government of India. OISD publishes mandatory safety standards covering layout, design, operation, maintenance, inspection, and emergency response for hydrocarbon installations. Over 200 OISD standards exist across refining, petrochemicals, gas processing, oil and gas transport, retail outlets, and offshore operations. OISD also coordinates audits, incident investigations, and industry-wide safety improvement initiatives in conjunction with PNGRB and PESO. See the OISD 118 standard for the foundational layout standard and the Indian EPC compliance bundle for the compliance automation.
OISD standard categories
OISD standards are organised by application area. OISD-100 series: refinery operations (layout, fired heaters, storage, fire-water). OISD-150 series: petrochemical and chemical processing. OISD-200 series: gas processing and LNG. OISD-130 series: transportation (pipelines, terminals, depots). OISD-160 series: oil and gas exploration and production. OISD-179: safety in road transport of petroleum. Each standard is identified by a unique number and a title indicating the scope.
Common OISD standards in EPC scope
EPC projects routinely reference: OISD 116 (Fire Protection Facilities), OISD 117 (Fire Protection at Tankage), OISD 118 (Layout for Oil and Gas Installations), OISD 119 (Inspection of Atmospheric Storage Tanks), OISD 125 (Inspection of Static Equipment), OISD 130 (Pipeline Safety), OISD 144 (Liquefied Petroleum Gas Bottling Plant), OISD 150 (Fired Heaters), OISD 161 (Drilling Operations), OISD 163 (Process Design), OISD 168 (Plant Layout). Each standard has its own audit-package requirements.
OISD audit cycle
OISD audits Indian petroleum installations on a 2-3 year cycle. Audit teams led by OISD inspectors verify compliance against the relevant standards for the installation type. Audit findings include non-conformities classified by severity (major, minor, observation) with closure timelines. Indian PSU refineries and operating plants budget significant manpower for audit preparation and closure cycle management.
OISD vs other regulators
OISD operates within a broader Indian regulatory framework. OISD publishes safety standards and conducts audits. PNGRB (Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board) regulates downstream gas, pipelines, and retail outlet operations. PESO (Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation) administers the Petroleum Act and Explosives Act licensing through CCOE. MoPNG provides the overarching policy framework. The four bodies coordinate on incident investigations and enforcement.
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Indian PSU refineries (IOCL, BPCL, HPCL, ONGC-Mangalore, Reliance, Nayara) operate under continuous OISD compliance with 2-3 year audit cycles. Each refinery typically prepares audit packages covering 15-30 applicable OISD standards.
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Greenfield refinery and petrochemical EPC projects must demonstrate full OISD compliance at mechanical completion. The OISD deliverable package spans layout (OISD 118), fired heaters (OISD 150), tank inspection (OISD 119), fire protection (OISD 116, 117), and process design (OISD 163).
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Petrochemical and fertiliser plants operating under MoPNG jurisdiction follow OISD-150 series standards for petrochemical processing safety, with specific applicability per process type.
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LPG bottling plants operate under OISD 144 covering layout, safety device provisions, fire-water capacity, and emergency response. Multi-site LPG networks consolidate OISD 144 documentation across regional facilities.
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Pipeline operators (GAIL, IOCL Pipelines, HPCL Pipelines, Reliance Pipelines) operate under OISD 130 pipeline safety with continuous monitoring, periodic inspection, and incident reporting cycles.
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EPC contractors (L&T, Tata Projects, Toyo, KBR, Engineers India Limited) delivering to Indian PSU clients produce OISD-compatible deliverables across multiple OISD standards depending on project scope.
Pathnovo's Indian EPC compliance bundle automates OISD compliance documentation for Indian refineries and petrochemical plants. The product extracts HAZOP studies covering OISD-relevant nodes via HAZOP register extraction, encodes OISD 118 inter-distance tables (the most-cited OISD standard in EPC), builds the safety device register tying to OISD 116, 117, 119, 144, 150 requirements, and produces audit-ready documentation packs for MoPNG and PNGRB review. Indian PSU refineries running Pathnovo report 60-80% reduction in OISD audit-day desk review time. See the OISD 118 standard reference for the foundational layout detail.
What does OISD stand for?
OISD stands for Oil Industry Safety Directorate, a regulatory body under India's Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. OISD publishes mandatory safety standards covering layout, design, operation, maintenance, and emergency response for hydrocarbon installations and conducts periodic audits.
How many OISD standards exist?
Over 200 OISD standards exist covering refining, petrochemicals, gas processing, oil and gas transport, retail outlets, and offshore operations. Each standard is identified by a unique number and a title indicating the application area, with mandatory compliance for Indian installations within scope.
Which OISD standard is most cited in EPC?
OISD 118 (Layout for Oil and Gas Installations) is the most cited OISD standard in EPC scope, covering inter-distance, HAZOP, layout, and safety device provisions. Other commonly referenced standards include OISD 150 (fired heaters), OISD 116 / 117 (fire protection), and OISD 119 (tank inspection).
Are OISD standards mandatory?
Yes. Compliance with relevant OISD standards is mandatory for Indian petroleum and hydrocarbon installations under MoPNG jurisdiction. Compliance is verified during OISD audits (2-3 year cycle), incident investigations, and pre-commissioning inspections.
How does OISD relate to PESO and CCOE?
OISD publishes safety standards and conducts audits. PESO administers the Petroleum Act and Explosives Act licensing through CCOE. The four bodies (OISD, PESO, CCOE, PNGRB) coordinate on incident investigations and enforcement. OISD compliance evidence supports PESO and CCOE licence applications.
Can Pathnovo automate OISD compliance?
Yes. Pathnovo's Indian EPC compliance bundle extracts HAZOP studies covering OISD-relevant nodes, encodes OISD 118 inter-distance tables, and produces audit-ready documentation packs for MoPNG and PNGRB review. Used by Indian PSU refineries to compress audit preparation from weeks to hours.
What is the OISD audit cycle?
OISD audits Indian petroleum installations on a 2-3 year cycle. Audit teams verify compliance against the relevant standards, classify findings by severity (major, minor, observation), and assign closure timelines. Audit-day preparation typically requires months of consolidated documentation work; automation can compress preparation to hours.
OISD 118 Standard
Layout, inter-distance, and HAZOP standard (most cited OISD).
OISD 150 Standard
Fired heater design and operation standard.
Indian EPC Compliance Bundle
IBR + OISD + PESO + CCOE unified compliance automation.
HAZOP Safety Intelligence
HAZOP register extraction supporting OISD audit readiness.
Indian EPC AI for Hydrocarbons
Indian PSU refinery and hydrocarbon plant engineering AI.
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