The Framework Regulations, Section 39 on off-duty periods, third paragraph, requires that:
“The off-duty period between two offshore periods shall have a continuous duration of at least one-third of the most recently completed offshore period.”
An overview obtained by Havtil from Equinor shows that the company has breached the provision concerning off-duty periods on numerous occasions during the past five years.
The severity of the individual breaches varies, but the number of serious breaches is still significant. The overview includes contractors’ employees, in addition to Equinor’s own personnel.
Equinor has acknowledged that its practice has not been in line with the requirement stipulated in the Framework Regulations and that it has implemented a process to update its governing documentation based on our audit. However, it is not clear when this process is expected to be completed.
Accordingly, we have issued Equinor with the following order:
Pursuant to the Framework Regulations, Section 69 concerning administrative decisions, Equinor is ordered to:
- Establish and implement elements in its management system which mean that the duration of off-duty periods between two offshore periods meets the requirements of the regulations, cf. the Framework Regulations, Section 39 on off-duty periods, third paragraph, cf. the Framework Regulations, Section 17 on the duty to establish, follow up and further develop a management system, first paragraph.
The deadline for complying with the order is 25 March 2025.
We are to be notified when the order has been carried out.