Offshore operators may be aware of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) and its efforts to establish safer conditions at offshore facilities. Inspection teams from the organization will assess five facilities as part of this program, gathering data that could lead to better safety classifications and appropriate actions.
A press release from the Bureau states that this initiative will exist alongside the Safety and Environmental Management Systems audits and other existing features.
"The risk profile will address problematic situations on a case-by-case basis."
One of the ultimate benefits of this work will be a risk profile for each facility, making it easier to address problematic situations on a case-by-case basis. This profile will take some of the basic facts of the facility, such as its size, into consideration. At the same time, the Bureau is focusing on collaborating with operators and reducing risk rather than calling out any particular sites.
In an interview with Rigzone, BSEE Director Brian Salerno described the way inspections will proceed, as well as the possible future of the program.
"Subject Matter Experts (SME) at BSEE are already working to compile a list of pilot sites for the Risk-Based Inspection Program," Salerno said. "We anticipate completing this step and notifying the operators of included offshore facilities early in 2016." He added that "we may roll out the Risk-Based Inspection Program on a larger scale" if these initial cases prove to be successful.
Salerno also stated that operations standards in these types of regions have improved in the years since the infamous Deepwater Horizon disaster. The BSEE announced this inspection program this past December, days after Salerno appeared in Congress to address well control issues, as NOLA.com noted.
For offshore commercial diving efforts, companies that regularly work with insurance for these areas may provide the best assurance of quality coverage.