Offshore technical guidance catalogue with specific relevance to major accident hazards

4 User notes on searching the catalogue

Several search facilities have been established to enable the user to identify documents by interrogating the Catalogue's database.

4.1 User notes on searching by relevance

With relevance searches, the relevance terms (see Figures 3.2-3.4) are used to search one or more levels simply by checking buttons.

The field searched is 'Relevance'.

Search tips:

• Any number of relevance terms can be checked; note that the relevance search facility does not use Boolean logic.
• The Level 3 relevance terms 'Helicopters, other aircraft', 'Offshore structures' and 'Topsides' provide generic records. To enable more focused searching, sub-relevance terms should be checked. For example, the 'Offshore structures' sub-relevance term 'MODU' would need to be checked to enable a more focused search of documents relating to that specific structure type.
• In Level 1, the Catalogue does not contain the regulations where it contains interpretive guidance or ACoP to those regulations.

4.2 User notes on searching by keyword

The keyword search facility enables user-defined keywords to be used. One or more levels are searched, simply by checking the requisite buttons.

The fields searched are 'Title' and 'Comment'.

Search tips:

• Singular keywords should be used to enable both singular and plural forms to be found.
• Some keywords (e.g. design) may result in excessive results.
• Truncated keywords (e.g. 'instru') do not require an asterisk.
• To enable more focused searching, users should consider what level of documents they require; for example, Level 2 should be checked to search for generic documents.

4.3 User notes on searching by publication year

With publication year searches, the user selects a range of years to search.

The field searched is 'Publication year'.

Search tips:

• The number of Catalogue entries diminishes rapidly with time; the oldest dates to 1975.
• To search a single year, the same year should be entered in each box.
• Some publishers do not specify a publication year. Such records will not be included in results.
• Some records have multiple publication years, for example where a corrigendum has been issued, possibly in a subsequent year. For such cases, the Catalogue includes a full record for each and explanatory text in the 'Comment' field.
• Some records contain the month published; where appropriate, the record includes explanatory text in the 'Comment' field.
• To enable more focused searching, users should consider what level of documents they require; for example, Level 2 should be checked to search for generic documents.

4.4 User notes on searching by publication series and/or document number

The publication series and/or document number search facility enables the user to search:

• the publication series;
• the document number;
• the publication series and document number.

With publication series searches, the user selects the series from a pull-down menu and leaves blank the document number box.

The fields searched are 'Publication series' and 'Comment'.

Search tips:

• The exact text given in the publication series pull-down menu is searched, such that selecting HSE will not return records for HSC. However, selecting BS will also return composite records in the results (e.g. for BS EN and BS EN ISO documents).
• In some cases, the publication series differs from the publisher (e.g. BS vs. BSI).
• To enable more focused searching, users should consider what level of documents they require; for example, Level 2 should be checked to search for generic documents.

Document number searches require entry of user-defined data (text or numbers); the publication series pull-down menu is left blank.

The fields searched are 'Document number' and 'Comment'.

Search tips:

• Some organisations do not specify document numbers. Such records will not be included in results.
• To enable more focused searching, users should consider what level of documents they require; for example, Level 2 should be checked to search for generic documents.

More focused searching can be carried out by using searching both the publication series and document number facilities; this uses the 'AND' Boolean operator. The fields searched for the former are 'Publication series' and 'Comment', whereas for the latter, 'Document number' and 'Comment' are searched.

The search tips given above apply to each aspect respectively.

4.5 User notes on results

Results of searches are displayed as database records for each entry, with those in Level 1 first, followed by those in Levels 2 and 3. They are then displayed in ascending ‘Publication series’, ‘Publication year’ or ‘Title’, as selected by the user form a pull-down menu. Other than ‘Relevance’, all fields are displayed.

Results tips:

• Where there are no data, the field is blank. This applies with some 'Publication year' and 'Document number' entries, and with the 'Comment' field for many Level 3 records.
• Results can be copied for export to other software.
• Bookmarking the web address displayed in the toolbar enables retrieval of the results.

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