Related Documents

Projects

NOPSA conducts a programme of projects which implement planned improvements in regulatory operations, provide advice to stakeholders and promote offshore health and safety.

Safety Case Guidance

This safety case guidance note project is a long term project which will progressively deliver guidance notes on safety case preparation. Documents referred to from this project page represent work in progress.

Other advice on safety case preparation is also provided on a separate page of this website.

The NOPSA safety case guidance notes are being developed to provide guidance with respect to what is acceptable in meeting the intent of the OPS Regulations for a safety case. The guidance is not legislation; it should only be seen as an approach that, if followed, may be acceptable. The guidance is not mandatory and as such does not preclude any other reasonable interpretations of the regulatory requirements. In any case, people are encouraged to work directly with the regulations.

To obtain further information about this project, please email safetycaseguidance@nopsa.gov.au.

Guidance Notes Structure

NOPSA’s approach to safety case guidance is closely aligned with the successful approach developed by WorkSafe Victoria for their Major Hazard Facility Regulations. This is a subject matter or topic-based approach to the guidance which enables the development of individual notes that are focused on particular areas of interest. It allows for the design of small documents with user friendly formats that are concise and easy to navigate.

The guidance framework is best described using a jigsaw puzzle structure. In this model, the central document gives the safety case regime overview and describes the overall process. It provides a fundamental framework for the various different safety case elements. The remaining guidance notes are then developed in relation to this central document (and each other as appropriate). There is scope to add to this model as the need arises; this is indicated by the extra pieces of the puzzle.

Guidance Note Development Plan

Dealing with distinct subject matter and discrete topics makes it possible to develop guidance notes independently of each other; this is important because the subject matter is understood with varying degrees or levels of confidence. Some topics such as Safety Management Systems (SMS) for example, are well understood and almost generic in nature. These guidance notes can be developed in the main by NOPSA and the consultation can take place by means of open discussion documents. Other less well understood subjects, such as Control Measures and Performance Standards are planned to be the subject of stakeholder workshops and may take several iterations before a workable guidance note can be drafted.

The core concepts for each guidance note, the document status and planned consultation process are all available by clicking on pieces of the puzzle map above.