Tor Onshus

Tor Onshus is a Professor of Instrumentation Engineering at the Department of Technical Cybernetics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). He has held this position since 1987 and has also served as department chair and briefly as dean of the faculty. His expertise lies in safety systems and safety functions, with extensive experience in the petroleum industry's safety applications both offshore and onshore. Onshus maintains strong connections with industry through his advisory role at SINTEF and collaborative research projects.

His educational background includes:

• Master of Science in Technical Cybernetics from NTNU
• PhD in Technical Cybernetics from NTNU

Professor Onshus specializes in technical safety, particularly focusing on verification and assessment of safety functions in the oil and gas industry. His research spans safety systems on the seabed, platform solutions, drilling operations, hoists, flare loads, and HIPPS functions. He has been instrumental in developing industry guidelines, notably OLF-070 for implementing IEC61508/11 standards offshore in Norway. His work extends to machine safety standards development, ICT security in petroleum systems, and digitalization challenges in the energy sector. Onshus has established PDS, a forum that brings together industry, government, and research experts to discuss security solutions.

His recent publications demonstrate a clear trajectory toward addressing the intersection of digitalization, cybersecurity, and process safety in the petroleum industry. The research shows increasing focus on ICT security frameworks, data quality in digital transformation, and the integration of IT and OT systems while maintaining safety integrity. His work consistently addresses practical industry challenges while contributing to regulatory development and standardization.

Onshus has received significant recognition for his contributions:

• IFEA's highest award (2002) for committee contributions and speaking
• NFA's honorary award (2005)

As an educator, Onshus integrates his extensive industry experience into teaching by inviting guest lecturers and designing relevant projects. He has trained over 500 professionals through technical safety courses since 2004. His advisory work extends to SINTEF, where he collaborates on numerous R&D projects. Onshus has served on the NFA board (1998-2004) and as a member of the NFA Expert Panel (2001-2004). He has also contributed as an expert witness in court cases and participated in investigating major incidents including the Åsta train accident in 2000.

Through the PDS forum, which he helped establish over 20 years ago, Onshus has fostered a collaborative environment where experts from industry, government, and research meet twice yearly to exchange experiences on security solutions. His leadership in preparing the OLF-070 guideline has positioned him as a key figure in technical safety training within the Norwegian petroleum sector.