Currently, safety performance in the industry, which involves oil companies, drilling rig owners and contractors, varies from country to country.

But in recent years, governments have become increasingly interested in trying to remove these regional inconsistencies, as the cost of accidents, production shutdowns and drilling interruptions negatively impact on national economies.

Speaking at the National Oil & Gas Safety Conference in Perth yesterday, Morrow said IADC’s new guidelines development would give drilling contractors a globally recognised methodology to demonstrate HSE assurance in their operations.

He said the aim was to identify common safety issues and develop a fledgling global network of regulators that can support each other in preventing accidents and dangerous incidents.

“The new framework will eliminate or at least reduce unacceptable risks and hazards to a level that can be controlled and managed,” Morrow said.

He said there was an increasing need among oil companies and drilling contractors operating around the world for a consolidated set of guidelines.

“Currently, the onus is on the drilling contractors to take responsibility for equipment and crews, while rig contractors face difficulties as they move rigs across different borders,” he said.

“Also, technology is advancing in the industry all the time and needs to be tempered.”

The final draft framework was released for review and comment last week, with the final guidelines to be implemented at IADC’s Drilling HSE Conference in Amsterdam in October.

The new system is based on existing IADC North West European HSE case guidelines, established by member countries Denmark, the UK, Germany, Holland and Norway.