BSEE issues work safety rule guidance

As part of ongoing efforts to help operators comply with new safety rules for outer continental shelf oil and gas operations, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement has issued guidance on a workplace safety rule mandated after the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. In a notice to lessees issued on Oct. 24 the agency has provided the guidance by consolidating information and rule clarifications gleaned over the past year from workshops and discussions with industry and interest groups. Operators have to implement the new rule by Nov. 15.

The rule applies to all OCS operations under BSEE jurisdiction, including drilling; oil and gas production; well workovers; well completions; well servicing; and pipeline activities. And the rule requires the use of the use of safety and environmental management systems, designed to reduce the human and organizational errors that can lead to work related accidents and oil spills.

“Operators that develop and maintain a robust workplace safety program can help to achieve dramatic improvements in the overall safety of their operations for their workers while at the same time enhancing protection of the environment,” said BSEE Director Michael Bromwich when announcing the issue of the guidelines. “If these programs are implemented conscientiously, we expect a decrease in the frequency and severity of offshore accidents. Based on my meetings with individual operators, I am confident that the vast majority of operators will be ready with their SEMS programs by the November 15 compliance date. Today’s guidance should help address any lingering questions.”

—Alan Bailey