What to expect from a NOPSEMA inspection
Compliance with the law is not a choice, it is a requirement. A key function of NOPSEMA is to promote, monitor and secure compliance. One of the ways NOPSEMA monitors and secures compliance is through inspecting a duty holders’ performance in managing the risks and impacts of their activities consistent with commitments made in permissioning documents, and, more broadly, in compliance with the OPGGS Act and its regulations.
Inspections also provide NOPSEMA with an opportunity to engage with the offshore workforce so we can hear from them directly. This is a legislated requirement for OHS inspections, but we also provide an opportunity for the workforce to ask us questions or provide us with information during environmental management and well integrity inspections.
When planning for an inspection NOPSEMA will usually provide the duty holder with advanced notice. This is to manage the logistics of inspections and typically includes requests for key documents in advance, organising NOPSEMA’s access and transport to the facility or premises, and ensuring appropriate representatives will be available to NOPSEMA during the inspection, such as Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs).
During an inspection, the participation of the workforce is vital. They accompany NOPSEMA Inspectors, provide information, answer questions, demonstrate how to operate equipment or execute other procedures, and show requested items of physical plant and equipment. Before we leave an offshore facility or a duty holder’s business premises, NOPSEMA will provide an exit brief with a summary of the inspectors observations and findings and an early indication of conclusions. This allows the duty holder to take early action, where required, to address any non-compliance identified.
After full consideration of all the information collected, NOPSEMA will provide a detailed report containing our conclusions and the reasons behind them. We may also provide compliance advice indicating what the duty holder should consider when determining how to address any conclusions. For OHS inspections, a copy of NOPSEMA’s inspection report must be provided to all members the facility’s health and safety committees, and if no such committees exist, to all HSRs.
Duty holders must provide NOPSEMA with details about any actions they propose to take in response to an inspection conclusion. NOPSEMA will then monitor the duty holders progress and, in subsequent inspections, verify if the duty holder has taken all the necessary actions as reported.
Where a duty holder fails to return to compliance in the agreed timeframe, and/or if new information becomes available, NOPSEMA may consider enforcement action.