Britain's Health & Safety Commission (HSC) has proposed rules for offshore wells and design and construction of installations.
When the rules become law, by yearend under HSC's schedule, Britain's offshore regulations will have been revised from top to bottom in the wake of the fatal 1988 blast aboard the Piper A platform in the North Sea (OGJ, Apr. 17, Newsletter).
HSC Chairman Frank Davies said the latest proposals represent the completion of HSC's major review of offshore legislation in line with recommendations of the Cullen Report of 1990.
"They will be an integral part of the new approach to managing safety offshore, which has been established through the safety case regime," Davies said.
"They include proposals for a new regime of verification to replace the existing Certificate of Fitness regime offshore. This change will introduce more modern, flexible arrangements for ensuring the suitability of safety matters offshore."
MAIN POINTS
HSC said the main goals of the new draft regulations are to:
- Ensure the integrity of an installation throughout its life cycle.
- Ensure that risks to persons on an installation from things such as structural failure or loss of stability are as low as reasonably practicable.
- Provide a framework to ensure the safe condition of a well at all stages of its life.
- Meet a number of detailed provisions relating to workplaces on an offshore installation.
- Ensure that the safety critical elements of an offshore installation or well are verified as suitable by an independent, competent person and verification arrangements are recorded and revised as needed.
Comments on the draft rules may be sent to Health & Safety Executive, the operational unit of HSC, by Sept. 29.
HSC has estimated that changes to current practices under the proposed rules will cost operators 1.7-5.4 million ($2.7-8.6 million) during a 15 year period.
Overall benefits arising from avoiding duplication of effort during internal verification are claimed to amount to 30.9 million ($49.4 million) during the same period.
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