Bureau of Safety and Environmental
Enforcement (BSEE) Director Brian Salerno cited 12 offshore operators
for their failure to demonstrate compliance with the Safety and
Environmental Management Systems (SEMS) requirements of the Workplace
Safety Rule, 30 CFR Subpart S. The SEMS requirements were put in place
in October 2010, following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Per the
regulations, offshore operators were required to complete an initial
SEMS audit by November 15, 2013.
"An effective, fully implemented SEMS
program is essential to reducing risks across offshore operations," said
Director Salerno. “BSEE must be assured that companies are addressing
the key elements of SEMS and that they are not needlessly putting their
workers and the environment at risk. We will vigorously enforce
compliance with this fundamental requirement."
Beginning Nov. 16, Director Salerno
directed five companies to halt operations because they failed to
provide the Bureau an audit plan and completed audit by the Nov. 15
regulatory deadline, calling into question whether they have implemented
a SEMS program. The companies were given three days to reach a safe
point in their operations before ceasing work. While most of the
companies are conducting plugging and abandonment or other
decommissioning activities, the elements of a SEMS program are
applicable to all offshore operations. The Bureau has determined that
the impact of this enforcement action on Gulf of Mexico production is
minuscule.
Seven additional companies submitted audit
plans that were in compliance with regulations, but failed to complete
the audits before the Nov. 15 deadline. Those companies have been
directed to immediately provide BSEE with a copy of their SEMS program;
have the company Chief Executive Officer certify, under penalty of
perjury, that their company has implemented the SEMS program; and
complete their SEMS audit without further delay. BSEE may take other
enforcement measures, including the assessment of civil penalties for
each day of non-compliance, if operators do not meet these
requirements.
The Bureau took these actions only after
repeated notifications via email and letters to the companies during the
past year, reminding them of the deadline and offering to work with
them to ensure they understood the requirements. The Bureau also offered
to waive the requirement to submit an audit plan 30 days before
conducting the audit in an effort to encourage operators to complete
their audits in advance of the deadline.
Eighty-four operators were subject to the
Nov. 15, audit deadline, and 72 completed an initial audit. BSEE will
analyze the audit reports and work with companies to ensure their
corrective action plans adequately address noted deficiencies and
provide for continuous improvement across all offshore operations.
BSEE's predecessor agency, the Bureau of
Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE), published
the Workplace Safety Rule in October 2010, requiring offshore oil and
gas operators to develop and maintain a SEMS program. The SEMS program
is designed to reduce the risks of accidents, injuries and spills that
occur in connection with offshore oil and gas exploration and
development activities on the Outer Continental Shelf.
For more information about the SEMS program and requirements, click here.
To view the letters sent to the companies, click here.
Post to be found at:
http://www.maritime-executive.com/article/BSEE-Cites-12-Offshore-Operators-for-Compliance-Failures-2013-11-21/
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