The current security situation is challenging, permeated with uncertainty, and has significantly intensified the focus on stable gas deliveries from Norway to the rest of Europe.

Against this backdrop, the safety and security of Norwegian petroleum activities are more important than ever.

They are preconditions for Norway's role as a dependable supplier of oil and gas. The Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (PSA) has a key role as the supervisory authority for the working environment and safety in the petroleum activities. During 2022, we intensified dialogue with our superior ministry, as well as our cooperation with other authorities. The multipartite Safety Forum also held several extraordinary meetings. It is important that we contribute to the sharing of information about this critical situation, but not in such a way that we reveal vulnerabilities.

There is a high level of activity in the petroleum industry, and many companies are planning both exploration and major projects. A record number of plans for development and operation were submitted in 2022. These plans are now due to be realised.

At the same time, we are seeing the start of a green shift, where petroleum companies are working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, invest in renewable energy production and explore new focus areas.

Capacity and competence are key to safety

Our main theme for 2022 highlighted the need for sufficient and effective staffing, both in the short and long term. The topic is just as important now as it was at the beginning of the year, and our audits are still revealing non-conformities in this area.

When levels of activity are high, it may prove difficult to dependably secure capacity and expertise. Our concern is for staffing to be sufficient to ensure safety, for employees in all functions to have the right competence, and for individuals’ workloads to be reasonable.

Fifty years of safety

2022 was the 50th anniversary of the Norwegian Parliament’s decision to establish the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, giving the agency regulatory responsibility for safety and resource management on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. 18 years ago, the Directorate was split into two, placing the safety remit under a separate agency, the Petroleum Safety Authority Norway.

Norway's oil history is the story of how the Norwegian safety regime came into being. Of regulations and accidents, supervision and triumphs. Familiarity with this history is important. Not only for understanding where we come from, but also for realising why the Norwegian safety regime is designed the way it is. We have a regime where trust is key, where regulations are function-based, and where it is clear who is responsible for safety.

The PSA, formerly the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, has been pivotal in shaping the regime on which the current safety level is based. The model is robust, but if it is to endure, it must be respected by all parties. Familiarity with our history, experience and learning provide an important basis for today's safety work – and for the choices we face, in terms of both the development of the petroleum activities and the focus on new areas. We summarise fifty years of safety work on the next page.

Improvements and challenges

We are seeing continuous improvements in the industry’s work on safety and the working environment. The RNNP figures for 2022 showed consistently good results for efforts to reduce major accident risk. This indicates that the companies’ risk-management efforts have had an effect, and it reinforces the picture we have of them improving their management of underlying factors that influence risk. At the same time, the 2022 figures show an increase in the number of incidents with major accident potential associated with hydrocarbon leaks, especially at the onshore facilities, but also offshore.  This increase in 2022 follows an increase in 2021, and this is worrying.

All major oil companies and many contractors had meetings the PSA in 2022. Many met us through our audits, among the key topics of which in 2022 were security, including cybersecurity. Other important topics were employee participation, barriers, new technology and, not least, safe operations. We see positive developments in many areas; for example we are finding that the companies’ own systems for handling non-conformities are working better. Nevertheless, there remain areas where an additional effort is required; not least, there are still too many incidents around lifting operations.

There were no fatalities in the petroleum industry in 2022, but regrettably there were still some injuries. During the year, we investigated five serious incidents. One of these incidents caused personal injury, but more could have done so.

We also conducted a number of studies, meetings and seminars last year. The last seminar of 2022 concerned the health risks of exposure to diesel exhaust. 

A time for collective action

Cooperation has never been more important, in many different arenas. The Safety Forum and the Regulatory Forum are important tripartite arenas within the PSA's area of authority. Our cooperation with authorities in Norway and abroad takes place in many different ways and in different forums. Recently, information sharing on geopolitical matters has been given more prominence, and we cooperate with more authorities than before, and in new ways. New industries within our area of responsibility also entail meetings with new industry participants, and new interfaces with other authorities.

Cooperation between the industry participants is also essential for ensuring stable supplies, contributing to the green shift – and above all for protecting health, safety and the environment in all activities and in all phases thereof.

All of this has to be managed concurrently. This is the background to our main theme for 2023: For safe and stable energy progress. Collectively and concurrently.

The annual report is available in Norwegian only (see below).