The US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) issued a notice to offshore lessees that consolidates guidance and information to help operators meet requirements under the previously issued Safety and Environmental Management Systems (SEMS) rule. Operators must implement a SEMS program by Nov. 15, BSEE noted on Oct 24.
BSEE’s predecessor agency, the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement, issued the offshore workplace safety rule in October 2010 following the Macondo deepwater well incident and oil spill. BSEE said the requirements apply to all US Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas operations and the facilities now under the agency’s jurisdiction, including drilling; production; construction; well workover, completion, and servicing; and pipeline activities.
It said the notice contains no new requirements, but collects and consolidates guidance that has emerged from workshops and discussions with industry and other interest groups in the past year. In the interest of maximizing transparency, the notice also addresses issues relating to how BSEE will implement its SEMS compliance program, and describes the anticipated interactions between BSEE personnel and the operator community, the agency said.
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