Conducted from 23-25 May 2018, the audit of Equinor Mongstad had the following objectives:

  • assess whether management systems and practice at Equinor Mongstad and the ISS contractors concerning regular working environment surveys and follow-up of working environment risk met the requirements in the regulations
  • assess how Equinor Mongstad and the ISS contractors ensure that contract workers have a fully acceptable working environment
  • follow up that Equinor Mongstad, in collaboration with the contractors, ensures that operating parameters specified in the contract do not have negative consequences for health, safety and the environment (HSE)
  • assess how Equinor Mongstad and the contractors make provision for genuine worker participation.

The objective within logistics was to:

  • Follow up the company ahead of a major planned shutdown, and in respect of ongoing and planned projects.
  • Carry out an audit of the company’s administration and management of materials handling, the technical condition of lifting equipment and any lifting operations at Mongstad.
  • Monitor that Equinor’s management of the maintenance of lifting equipment and scaffolding material complies with the company’s and the authorities’ requirements within the scope of the audit.
  • Follow up tasks performed by the scaffolding division, as well as access techniques and work at height in general.

Nonconformities and improvement point

Nonconformities from the regulations were observed by the PSA in the following areas:

  • management of the organisational and psychosocial working environment 
  • risk assessment of work operations
  • inadequate risk assessment of the incident
  • failure to notify the incident
  • collaboration with CMSs
  • Deficient materials handling arrangements
  • Lack of risk analyses and procedures for critical lifting operations
  • Lack of preventive measures following hazard and accident situations

Furthermore, the PSA observed an improvement point related to:

  • making provision for worker participation
  • system for control of issue and return of unsecured lifting equipment
  • system for ensuring necessary competence of contractors – lifting operations
  • management of health, safety and the environment – harmonisation between onshore facilities

Order

Based on its audit findings, the PSA has now given Equinor Mongstad¨the following order:

Pursuant to section 18.6 of the Working Environment Act (WEA) on orders and other individual decisions and section 69 of the framework regulations on administrative decisions, see section 4.1, items (1) and (2) of the WEA on general requirements regarding the working environment, and sections 18 and 22 of the management regulations on working environment analysis and handling of nonconformities respectively, Equinor Mongstad is ordered to:

- conduct a systematic review of its systems for managing working environment risk at Equinor Mongstad in order to ensure that ISS personnel are not subject to unfortunate physical and mental stresses, and to ensure that safety considerations are taken care of, see nonconformities 5.1.1, 5.1.2 and 5.1.5

- develop a binding and scheduled plan for corrective measures, see nonconformities 5.1.1, 5.1.2 and 5.1.5, which identifies the prioritisation of these measures, with a description of possible compensatory measures to be adopted until the nonconformities are corrected.

The deadline for preparing the plan is set at 11 January 2019.

The report contains nonconformities other than those which form the basis for the notice of an order, and the PSA has asked Equinor Mongstad to explain no later than 2 November 2018 how these will be dealt with.

Where the nonconformities related to inadequate risk assessment of incidents and failure to notify incidents are concerned, Equinor has also been asked to investigate whether similar deficiencies in classifying and notifying incidents exist at other land-based plants.

The PSA has also requested the company’s assessment of the improvement point observed.