NOPSA team leader Ted Kirkbridge told the National Oil & Gas Safety Conference in Perth last week that the association was currently consulting key industry bodies, such as APPEA (Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association), IADC (International Association of Drilling Contractors) and IMCA (International Marine Contractors) to identify the issues and outline a program to help operators avoid containment losses.

“Everyone recognises that it’s a big issue,” he said.

“We are also looking to talk with other interested organisations, service and logistics companies, inspection firms and equipment manufacturers for their input.”

Kirkbridge said the program would be based on a similar HSE regime established in the United Kingdom. Since its implementation, the UK has seen a 56% drop in major lifting releases, he said.

“We’d be looking at introducing this program in a phased approach as we continue gathering data and receiving feedback,” he said.

“This might not be a one size fits all, but hopefully industry will be able to take the overriding theme and apply it where useful.”

He said NOPSA plans to start working with industry in the next three months. The final phase is scheduled to start in third quarter of this year and run for two years.

This will firstly involve gathering the data, such as incident reports and historical records, and later developing guidance in the form of prompt sheets and templates to ensure operators are consistent during facility inspections.

NOPSA then plans to conduct onsite inspections at onshore and offshore operations.

Finally, it hopes to deliver a joint post-program, in which participants continue sharing information and providing feedback.

“The outcomes we’re looking for are decreased unplanned disruptions due to containment losses and improved health and safety at onshore and offshore operations,” Kirkbridge said.