Health and Safety Executive

HAZARDOUS INSTALLATIONS DIRECTORATE OFFSHORE DIVISION

Tom McLaren, Operations Manager, Unit 3 tom.mclaren@hse.gsi.gov.uk

Piper Alpha 1988 167 lives lost

Montara/Western Atlas blow out 2009

Health and Safety Executive

Glomar Adriatic IV at Temash 2004 Egypt Blowout and fire 150 evacuated

Deepwater Horizon Macondo blow-out 11 lives lost

HISTORY

first oil 1971 safety regulated by the Department of Energy 1988 Piper Alpha public Inquiry Report by Lord Cullen published 1990 106 recommendations recommendations 1-13 requirement for Safety Case recommendations 23-26, responsibility for regulation of offshore safety to pass to HSE

PERMISSIONING REGIME

goal setting and non prescriptive every offshore installation must have an accepted safety case an argument for continued safe operation a description of the installation and how the major hazard risks are controlled and mitigated

LEGISLATION
The Offshore Installations (Safety Case) Regulations 2005 (SCR) requires every operator, or owner, of an offshore installation to prepare a safety case and submit it to HSE for acceptance. This involves HSE inspectors assessing the adequacy of the case. HSE also has to accept material changes to a safety case and a revision of a safety case to cover the dismantling of a fixed installation. HSEs permissioning approach enables HSE to check that acceptable risk control measures and an effective health and safety management system are in place. HSE also regulates the Offshore Installations and Wells (Design and Construction, etc) Regulations 1996 (DCR) which stem from the European directive. These regulations cover both offshore and onshore wells. They apply to the construction of a well and place duties on the "well operator" to ensure that the risks to the health and safety of personnel and the unplanned release of fluids from the well are as low as is reasonably practicable. Operators must submit plans to HSE in advance of construction, so that HSE inspectors can ensure that the design is safe, to prevent accidents such as the recent oil release in the USA which killed eleven workers and has led to widespread pollution of coastal waters.

Offshore Specific H&S Legislation

Health & Safety at Work Act etc. 1974

Application Outside GB Order 2001

Safety Reps & Comms Regs 1989

Safety Case Regs 2005

First Aid Regs 1989

Design & Construction Regs 1996

Prevention of Fire & Explosion etc. Regs 1995

Management & Admin Regs 1995

Onshore Regs. Applied Offshore

Health & Safety at Work Act etc. 1974

Pipelines Safety Regs 1996 Management of Health & Safety at Work Regs 1999 Lifting Ops. & Lifting Equip. Regs 1998 Provision & Use of Work Equipment Regs 1998 Electricity at Work Regs 1989 Working at Height Regs 2005 Personal Protective Equip. at Work Regs 1992 Diving at Work Regs 1997

Control of Substances Hazardous to Health at Work Regs 2002 Control of Noise at Work Regs 2005 Control of Asbestos Work Regs 2002 Control of Vibration at Work Regs 2005 Display Screen Equipment Regs 1992 Ionising Radiation Regs 1999 Manual Handling Operations Regs 1992

Reporting Injuries & Diseases & Dangerous Occurrences 1995 Pressure Equip. Regs 1999 Pressure Equip Regs 2002 The Equip. & Protective Systems Intended for Use in Potentially Explosive Atmospheres Regs 1996 Dangerous Substances & Explosive Atmospheres Regs 2002 Safety Signs & Signals Regs 1996