Monday 18 May 2015

Legislation shake-up under the spotlight at seminar

The single biggest change to safety and environmental management offshore comes into force in July.

The new European Union (EU) Offshore Safety Directive is aimed at further minimising the risks offshore and will standardise regulatory regimes across the EU.

Oil & Gas UK is holding a half-day EU Directive seminar tomorrow (19 May) that will brief senior managers in industry on the key changes prompted by the Directive.

Speakers include Tony Hetherington from the Health and Safety Executive and Wendy Kennedy from the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

Robert Paterson, health, safety and employment issues director at Oil & Gas UK, said:  “This half-day seminar will focus on the changes and impacts on the industry operating under this new regime which will be managed by the new Offshore Safety Directive Regulator.   “Timely submission of safety cases, well notifications and Oil Pollution Emergency Plans will be vital. There are also new requirements for existing policies, systems and reporting that go beyond merely adding environmental information into the safety case and then resubmitting.”

The seminar will also feature case studies from industry which will give an insight to how companies incorporated the new requirements in submissions of safety cases, well notifications and OPEPs to the Offshore Safety Directive Regulator, as well as the challenges they faced along the way.  Presentations will be delivered by BP, IADC, Transocean and Wood Group PSN.

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

For more information contact Oil & Gas UK Press & PR Officer Jennifer Phillips on 01224 577279.

Oil & Gas UK is the leading representative organisation for the UK offshore oil and gas industry. Its growing membership, which comprises oil and gas producers and contractor companies, now numbers more than 500.