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Our Vision Health and safety risks in the Australian offshore petroleum industry are properly controlled. This series of messages is aimed at keeping you informed of the operations of NOPSA. Please let us know if you would like to be added to the distribution list PERSONNEL: Tim McGrath joined NOPSA as an OHS Inspector. Tim has a background in the design, construction and operation of UK nuclear power facilities, he established the Australian National Oil & Gas Industry Training Centre for the training and qualification of oil and gas Production Operators, and managed the Master of Oil & Gas Engineering course at the School of Oil and Gas Engineering, University of Western Australia. Dave Chaplin also joined NOPSA as an OHS Inspector. Dave comes to NOPSA with 18 years experience as a Regulator in the offshore petroleum sector, and has spent the majority of that time working with drilling operations. Dave is a Marine Engineer by profession. Charlene Stevenson commenced work as Administrative Assistant in the Perth Office. Her previous employment was in the private sector, and her appointment with NOPSA is for a period of six months. She will assist with a range of activities within the Corporate Team and throughout the Perth Office. INDUSTRY MATTERS: NOPSA will be presenting its “legislative approach to Occupational Health regulation” on 19th June 2006, between 10:00 and 12:00, at the Woodside Auditorium located in Woodside Plaza. An invitation to attend the presentation is extended to all interested parties. If you wish to register your interest, please contact Dot Sherry from NOPSA on (08) 6461 7024 or dot.sherry@nopsa.gov.au as seating may be limited. The presentation will be repeated in Melbourne at a later date, to be announced. In the April newsletter we noted a recall notice for certain smoke hoods manufactured by Brookdale International Systems Inc. NOPSA has now been made aware of a further recall and alerts concerning emergency equipment, and process heat exchangers, which may affect Australian offshore operators: 1. There is a total recall of Pains Wessex White Collision Warning (MK7) Hand Flares Item No. 52651. Pains Wessex has advised NOPSA they do not believe any of these flares are in Australia. However, operators of mobile facilities or offshore support vessels that have operated overseas may wish to check their flare stock for these items and should remove from service any that are found. 2. One alert notice relates to the Dacon Scoop, a device deployed from standby vessels for retrieval of persons from the water. The alert indicates a need to replace the scoop’s lifting rings. 3. The second alert relates to a serious incident in the UK North Sea, which resulted in a high pressure gas release, and subsequent large scale fire on a manned facility, (which resulted in a month’s shutdown for repairs). Fortunately, no one was seriously injured in the incident. The release was caused by a corrosion induced failure in a tube bundle. The UK regulator has requested operators there to check for this particular type of heat exchanger, and if found, to take appropriate steps to inspect, and remove from service if necessary. NOPSA’s web-site has been amended to provide links to other web-sites where safety alerts relevant to the offshore petroleum industry are regularly posted. STAKEHOLDER RELATIONS: A meeting of the Upstream Petroleum Subcommittee of the Ministerial Council for Mineral and Petroleum Resources was held on May 11th to 12th on the Gold Coast. The meeting discussed issues relevant to NOPSA which included: management of safety zones, NOPSA’s participation in providing review of Field Development Plans, regulation of pipeline, well and subsea system integrity. The CEO, John Clegg made a presentation to the WA Oil and Gas Coordinating Council, chaired by the Premier, Alan Carpenter on the 5th May. The presentation reviewed the health and safety performance of the Australian offshore petroleum industry, identified some critical health and safety issues and suggested strategies for achieving world class health and safety performance. WORKFORCE: Further to the 2006 Health and Safety Representatives (HSR) Forum, a series of documents including the Proceedings and Actions document, a detailed Forum Report, presentations and summary of the feedback received have been recently circulated to delegates and other key stakeholders. This material is also available on the NOPSA website and the Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources website. CONFERENCES: The 2006 APPEA Conference and Exhibition on the Gold Coast was attended by representatives from NOPSA. We congratulate those receiving safety awards at the conference: Safety Performance Award – Woodside Energy Ltd Safety Innovation Award – ExxonMobil Contractor Safety Innovation Award – Halliburton Australia Pty Ltd IADC Safety Award – Onshore – Parker Drilling Company IADC Safety Award – Offshore – Atwood Oceanics Australia Pty Ltd NOPSA received a number of enquiries from industry personnel during the event. The overriding issue was competencies and training. The Safety in Action conference held from 16-18 May in Melbourne included a stream on Safety in the Offshore Petroleum Industry, with NOPSA as co-organiser. NOPSA presented three papers at the conference, on its first year of operations and on the Lifting Operations and Facility Integrity National Programmes. Tim McGrath attended a conference on 11th and 12th May on Health and Safety Culture Management for the Oil and Gas Industry in Amsterdam. The conference, which was chaired by Professor Patrick Hudson of the Centre for Safety Studies at Leiden University, featured presentations and panel sessions where operators and contractors shared their improved safety and performance resulting from the implementation of health and safety culture improvement programmes. CORPORATE GOVERNANCE The NOPSA Board met on the 11th and 12th May. Themes for the meeting included management of safety zones, progress on WA mirror legislation, and industry health and safety performance measures. The Honourable Bob Baldwin MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Honourable Ian Macfarlane, Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources, visited an offshore facility and the NOPSA Perth Office in early May. WEBSITE: The updated revision of levies guidance replaces earlier guidance on the NOPSA website, and a Safety Case Levy Remittance form is also now available. REGULATORY ACTIVITIES in May 2006: The following activity occurred during May. Activity and incident quantities identified here may vary as further information becomes available. Safety Case Assessment During May nine Safety Cases (SC) were assessed. There were no Diving Project Plans (DSMP) or Pipeline Safety Management Plans (PSMP) assessed during this period. At the end of May, ten Safety Cases were still under assessment. Several submissions were not submitted by the nominated operator in accordance with MoSOF Reg 34 in relation to Revised Safety Cases. Other safety cases have been submitted without clear indication as to why the document has been submitted, thus creating delays in beginning commencement whilst the purpose of the document is determined through enquiries. The following associated documents are to accompany the Safety Case: · A cover letter seeking acceptance of the Safety Case stating the relevant Regulation(s); · Two hard copies of the Safety Case; · One searchable PDF document on CD or by email; and · An appropriate transmittal stating the relevant documents. If submissions are initially submitted by email, assessment will not commence until the hard copy has been received by the Authority. Inspections There were six inspections undertaken in May. Inspections involved inconsistencies within test and inspection documentation, inconsistencies between safety case and procedures in use, scaffold management, lack of confirmation that systems were performing to functional specifications and crew competency. NOPSA participated with AMSA in a joint inspection of a new FPSO on the North West Shelf. Matters of joint interest included pre- and post-cyclone manning arrangements, lifeboats, and sighting of disconnect systems in operation. Incidents & Complaints: During May seven complaints and thirteen incidents were investigated (double the number of complaints received last month, but nearly half the number of incidents reported). The incidents included seven injuries, and two occasions of a supply vessel impacting a rig. Enforcement There were three Improvement Notices issued in May arising from investigation and complaints regarding dangerous occurrences. The Improvement Notices were issued for: failure to follow safety procedures during a gas leak and failure to ensure that redundant electrical cabling is made safe; failure to notify NOPSA of a dangerous occurrence; and failure to maintain appropriate redundancy in equipment for emergency response. There were no Prohibition Notices issued this month. EMERGING ISSUES: There has been a recent increasing trend in the numbers of complaints about OHS received by NOPSA, from the workforce, HSRs and unions. These complaints have identified concerns relating to such matters as deficiencies in operators’ consultation and issue resolution processes. Recent accident and dangerous occurrence reporting has been deficient in the analysis of root causes. Many reports propose solutions to perceived problems, without having identified the root causes. Root cause analysis is required by determinations made under the relevant regulations, and guidance on reporting is available from the NOPSA website. Past issues of this newsletter are available from the NOPSA website at: http://www.nopsa.gov.au/CEO_emails/ |
