What are the most important regulations?
The key HSE provisions in the petroleum sector are found in the regulations, with the framework regulations specifying the base safety requirements for organising and conducting petroleum operations. Other provisions are found in the management, activities, facilities, and technical and operational regulations, in addition to six common working environment regulations.
Specific guidelines for each regulation show how its provisions may be met. A regulation and its guidelines must be viewed together to obtain the best possible understanding of how the requirements can be fulfilled.
How are standards used?
In certain areas, the guidelines refer to recommended solutions – such as industry standards – as a way of complying with the regulatory requirements. Opting for a recommended solution means the requirement can be regarded as met. Should an alternative be chosen, documentation must be provided to show that it meets the requirement at least as well as the recommended approach.
Who is responsible for standards?
The performance-based regulatory requirements often refer to standards developed and administered by the industry itself. Robust industry standards depend on the companies joining forces to identify the best solutions, which saves resources while highlighting the industry’s own responsibility.
Havtil devotes close attention to work on standards, including the possession of observer status on a number of committees. It also assesses the suitability of the standards in relation to the desired level of safety.