Washington (Platts)--30Jan2013/120 pm EST/1820 GMT
US offshore regulators on Wednesday submitted to the White House for final review an amendment to the current workplace safety rule. The amended rule adds several new requirements for a company's Safety and Environmental Management System program. The revised version, known as SEMS II, would, among other things, require third-party audits of a company's safety program and would give all rig workers authority to stop work. The rule was first proposed in September 2011 as part of the Obama administration's response to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. It expands the first SEMS rule, which was made final in October 2010 and which governs how decisions are made on a rig and clarifies the roles and responsibilities of rig workers. Article continues below... Request a free trial of: Oilgram News Oilgram News brings fast-breaking global petroleum and gas news to your desktop every day. Our extensive global network of correspondents report on supply and demand trends, corporate news, government actions, exploration, technology, and much more.
US offshore regulators on Wednesday submitted to the White House for final review an amendment to the current workplace safety rule. The amended rule adds several new requirements for a company's Safety and Environmental Management System program. The revised version, known as SEMS II, would, among other things, require third-party audits of a company's safety program and would give all rig workers authority to stop work. The rule was first proposed in September 2011 as part of the Obama administration's response to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. It expands the first SEMS rule, which was made final in October 2010 and which governs how decisions are made on a rig and clarifies the roles and responsibilities of rig workers.
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The new rule also would require companies to clarify who on a rig has ultimate authority at any given time for operational safety and decision making. The requirement is a response to the confusion onboard the Deepwater Horizon rig over who had final authority to assess risks associated with the activities that ultimately led to the blowout that killed 11 workers. The revised and amended SEMS rule was submitted by the Interior Department's Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement to the Office of Management and Budget. The submission marks the start of a final review process before the rule becomes final.--Gary Gentle, gary_gentile@platts.com --Edited by Jeff Barber, jeff_barber, jeff_barber@platts.com
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