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SafeOCS Program Expanded to Accept Equipment Failure Data

Parul Dubey on November 4, 2016 - in Energy, Oil & Gas

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) and the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) today announced the expansion of reporting of ‘near misses’ on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) through the SafeOCS (link is external) program to now include the confidential collection of equipment failure data in an effort to further reduce the risk of offshore incidents.

Effective immediately, the offshore oil and gas industry will have the option to submit equipment failure reports for well control equipment, required under the Well Control Rule (link is external) (30 CFR 250.730(c)), directly through SafeOCS (link is external). Effective Nov.7, industry will be required to submit reports for pollution prevention equipment, required under the Production Safety Systems Rule (link is external) (30 CFR 250.803), through SafeOCS (link is external) as the Chief’s designee. All reports submitted through SafeOCS (link is external) are collected and analyzed by BTS and are protected from release under the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act (CIPSEA).

“We are encouraging industry to quickly begin taking advantage of the SafeOCS expansion,” said BSEE Director Brian Salerno. “Shared awareness of safety trends better equips us all to quickly focus on emerging issues and thereby drive down the risk of serious incidents.”

In August 2013, BSEE and BTS signed an interagency agreement (link is external) to develop and implement SafeOCS, as a voluntary program for confidential reporting of ‘near misses’ occurring on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). Today’s expansion enables the SafeOCS system to be used to submit these required regulatory reports.
For notification forms, guidance, and additional information – or to submit reports, go to www.safeocs.gov

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