Message from the Chief Executive Officer
Recently, I was pleased to be invited to the CEO Safety Forum held during the APPEA 2021 Conference to address industry leaders on mental health and other current NOPSEMA priorities.
Mental health is something we are all grappling with during this pandemic and the offshore oil and gas industry is no different. We are seeing heightened anxiety and tension offshore that has the potential to affect attention to detail and overall performance. When you add workers spending time in isolation, working longer swing patterns and dealing with extended separations from loved ones, it is easy to understand the heightened risk to personal health, process safety and the potential for major accident events to occur.
At NOPSEMA, we understand border closures, travel restrictions and quarantine requirements have forced the industry to implement changes that will reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission. Industry must now also ensure the psychosocial effects of these changes are being managed to minimise the potential for longer-term mental health effects on workers.
Industry should also be cognisant of the impact that travel restrictions may have on workforce competencies in fields such as the assessment and maintenance of structural integrity. NOPSEMA has recently increased its focus on maintenance, particularly of ageing assets and how they are managed in the late-life stage.
Timely and appropriate maintenance is a key control in the prevention of harm and protection of the environment. Continued maintenance is also a critical part of planning for decommissioning. Our Head of Safety and Integrity, Derrick O’Keeffe, addressed this point at the APPEA Conference in his presentation on Deferred Maintenance – A Major Industry Challenge. Over the next few years, NOPSEMA will be monitoring duty holders closely to ensure they are undertaking the required inspection, monitoring, maintenance and repair processes in a timely manner.
Another key priority for NOPSEMA is safe and responsible decommissioning. The Australian Government has confirmed its expectation that NOPSEMA take a heightened interest in late life assets and that we apply the full range of our compliance powers to ensure appropriate decommissioning when facilities reach their end of life. NOPSEMA has released several guidance documents to assist industry in complying with their decommissioning obligations. These documents include a regulatory policy outlining requirements and expectations for the maintenance and removal of property.
NOPSEMA has also published a decommissioning compliance strategy and plan to clarify how we work with duty holders to assist them in complying with their decommissioning obligations and the types of compliance actions they can expect where compliance cannot be demonstrated. Further compliance action on decommissioning can be expected over the coming year.
From discussion at the APPEA 2021 Conference it was clear that industry leaders are increasing their focus on the growing number of assets in Australia that are approaching end of life and requiring decommissioning. The willingness of these leaders to adopt a collaborative approach was encouraging and NOPSEMA looks forward to working with them to ensure facilities are decommissioned in a safe and environmentally responsible manner.
I trust you find this latest edition of The Regulator informative.