19 June 2004 - Proposals to Replace the Offshore Installations (Safety Case) Regulations 1992
A new consultation document by the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) on proposals to replace the Offshore Installations (Safety Case) Regulations 1992 has been published. Although the Regulations remain "the cornerstone of the offshore health and safety regime" says the HSC, they believe the Regulations need to be updated to "meet the circumstances of a mature regime and industry." The 1992 Regulations came into effect in 1993 and require operators and owners of offshore installations to submit safety cases to HSE for acceptance as a condition of operating in UK waters.
The proposals aim to update the Regulation and control of major hazards offshore by strengthening the safety case regime.
In particular the document details proposals for:
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replacing three-yearly safety case resubmissions with five-yearly thorough reviews
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new duties for licensees to take safety into account when appointing an operator
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replacing some safety cases with notifications, removing some existing safety case particulars and making some others better focused
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replacing the requirement to demonstrate major accident risks are ‘as low as is reasonably practicable’ with a demonstration that such risks are identified and relevant statutory provisions are complied with
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introducing a new fallback power directing the duty holder to revise a safety case
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introducing a statutory right of appeal against regulatory decisions to the Secretary of State
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general updating throughout and consequential amendments to related regulations.
The HSC also states:
"The opportunity would also be taken to propose a small amendment to the Offshore Installations (Prevention of Fire & Explosion, and Emergency Response) Regulations 1995 (PFEER) to clarify that rescue and recovery arrangements should always include external parties, such as coastguard and helicopter support."
The consultation document can be found on the HSC web page here.
