WIRELINE AUTUMN 2014 ISSUE 29

NEWS ROUND-UP

OIL & GAS UK

1. HELICOPTER EMERGENCY BREATHING SYSTEM TRAINING STEAMS AHEAD Nearly 60,000 offshore workers have now received training on the new emergency breathing system (EBS) to be used on all offshore helicopter flights, developed with the support of the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Step Change in Safety and manufacturer Survitec. The CAA certified the new EBS in July as part of a series of measures to improve safety for offshore helicopter passengers announced following the accident off Sumburgh Head on 23 August 2013. From 1 September, unless an improved EBS is provided, only passengers seated next to a push-out window exit can fly offshore. The EBS has now been rolled-out on flights from all offshore helicopter bases. MalcolmWebb, Oil & Gas UK’s chief executive, says: “We warmly welcome the progress made here; it’s a significant step forward for the safety of helicopter operations in the North Sea. The development of this breakthrough lifesaving equipment is the result of intense, close collaboration between the CAA, the UK offshore oil and gas industry led by Step Change in Safety, and the manufacturers, Survitec.” Oil & Gas UK will continue to collaborate with the CAA on the implementation of other recommendations and actions outlined in its safety review released earlier this year. For more information, please contact Robert Paterson on rpaterson@oilandgasuk.co.uk.

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Nearly 60,000 offshore workers have received training on the new emergency breathing system

2. INDUSTRY RESPONDS TO EU OFFSHORE SAFETY DIRECTIVE CONSULTATION Oil & Gas UK’s Health and Safety and Environmental Directorates have consolidated industry views in a response to regulators as part of the formal consultation on the transposition of the EU Offshore Safety Directive into UK law. The formal consultation closed on 21 September. Oil & Gas UK organised a series of industry/regulator meetings during the consultation period, where officials from the Health and Safety Executive and the Department of Energy & Climate Change discussed the practical implementation of the proposed regulations, which is scheduled for July 2015. For more information, please contact Robert Paterson on rpaterson@oilandgasuk.co.uk.

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3. UPDATES TOWELL-RELATED GUIDELINES Oil &Gas UK has published a new edition of its Well Life Cycle Integrity Guidelines and revised its Guidelines on Blowout Preventer (BOP) Systems for Offshore Wells to improve cross-industry understanding of well-related issues on the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) and to help companies incorporate the latest developments in good practice. Produced by members of Oil & Gas UK’s Well Life Cycle Practices Forum (WLCPF), the publications align with the goal-setting philosophy of the UK offshore safety regime. TheWLCPF has a number of work groups committed to reviewing all aspects of well practices to improve safety and performance. OonaghWerngren, Oil & Gas UK’s operations director, says: “This is an excellent example of what can be achieved through collaborative work across the industry. These updated guidelines collate the latest expertise.” The Well Life Cycle Integrity Guidelines are available to download at http://bit.ly/wellintegrity and the Blowout Preventer Systems Guidelines are available at http://bit.ly/BOPguidelines. For more information, please contact operations@oilandgasuk.co.uk.

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