Safety Case Regime in the Oil Sector - Policies, Regulations, Standards, and Safety Management System - Essay Example

Safety Case Regime Introduction A safety case regime is fundamental for the operations of any company within the oil sector. The safety case regime is mainly for the purpose of ensuring that the facility is safe for the employees (Roughton, 2002). The case safety document is also useful in terms of identifying risks and eliminating them. Any accidents within the oil plant may lead to destruction of infrastructure as well as deaths of the employees. A safety case regime is therefore very important and it can be used for defending the company incases of fatal accidents. However, the case safety regime requires a lot of commitments by the employees for it to be successful. It cannot guarantee the safety of the workers without commitment to safety. It is also important to update the document depending on the safety needs that arises. The paper this discusses the safety case regime in relation to XYZ Company that operates in Australia and it deals with the production of oil. Policies, regulations, objectives and standards The company should develop goals and objectives that have to be met in terms of ensuring that the facility is safe. It may also include the activities that the companies have to participate to ensure the safety of the employees. The means in which the company intends to use for the purpose of meeting the objectives should also be highlighted. This may include the frequency of the maintenance of the facility and the costs the company is willing to invest in the safety measures. The regulations of the government should also be put into consideration. This is because the Australian government is very strict on maters regarding safety in the oil industry. This is after the occurrence of major accidents that has led to extensive damage to the environment as well as deaths of employees. The regulations in Australia permits the inspectors to enforce the off shore petroleum and green house gas storage safety act. The inspectors have the powers to interview any of the employees and take action incase any art of the regulation is not followed (NOPSEMA, 2012). The company must therefore abide by all the relevant legislation that has been set out by the government. That is not only for the purpose of compliance but also improving on the safety standards. The company should also that its management and staff takes the necessary practical action to ensure the safety of the people in the facility. This is also part of the regulation by the government and all the employees should maintain high standards of safety when discharging their duties. Mechanisms should also be put in place to ensure proper consultations takes place among all the employees in different departments for the purpose of maintaining high standards of safety. The policies and standards set by the relevant authorities should also be adhered to in the course of operations. In Australia, the standards body in the oil sector is the National offshore petroleum safety and environmental management Authority (NOPSEMA). This body is mandated with the regulation of the sector and ensuring that all the players in the sector comply with the set standards. The company should therefore adhere to all the guidelines that have been set by this body to ensure safety of the facility and the employees. All the policies should also be implemented fully to avoid court cases that may impact negatively on the operations of the company (Paton, 2008). The objectives of the company regarding safety should therefore be in line with the government policies. Facility description The description of the facility is also an important aspect of safety case regime. This enables the inspectors to come up with accurate reports regarding the safety of the facility (U.S. Minerals Management Service, 2010). An overview of the facility should be documented by the company and it should show any major or unique features within the facility. The process flow and operations should also be highlighted in the facility description. The design parameters are also important in determining the safety of the facility and it should be clearly highlighted in the facility description. Equipment layout should also be described in details. This is because the layout of the equipment may have impacts on the safety of the employees. Poor layout of the equipment may increase the chances of fatalities incase of an accident (Ornitz, 2002). The oil production plant is also complex in terms of the equipment layout and determines the safety of the facility. It is also important for the company to indicate the type of hazardous materials that it may be using during its operations. The inspectors are usually concerned about the hazardous materials since it may also impact negatively on the environment. The facility description is also important to the company in terms of formulating the safety measures within the facility (Vassiliou, 2009). Safety management system The safety management system is usually grouped into two for the purpose of ensuring total safety. Since the company will be dealing with the production of oil, it is important for it to put in place measures that address the formal safety. The formal safety requires the identification of all the hazards and risks that may occur during the lifecycle of the facility (Urbina, 2010). It is obvious that various hazards may occur during the production of oil and may impact negatively on the company. It is important for the company to maintain the highest standards of safety during the design stages. This will prevent a lot of hazards and accidents from occurring during the operations of the company. A hazard register should also be established by the company for the purpose of recording all the hazards that occurs in the facility (Wilkinson, 2004). This is important in terms of predicting and identifying the future risks. Health risks should also be analyzed in order to put in place measures that will protect the workers. It is also important for the company to put in place measures that will facilitate rescue efforts incase of an accident. This is also important in terms of establishing the ability of the company to deal with emergencies at any time. Audit and review In Australia, the audits are mainly for the purpose of analyzing the risks and the performance of the company in terms of maintaining the safety standards. This analysis requires a lot of expertise in order to come up with an accurate report. During the auditing process, various areas will have to undergo a thorough analysis (Yeomans, 2004). The compliance of the company with the relevant legislation forms the most important part of the audit and review. The ability of the company to maintain the safety standards and its commitment to safety is also an important consideration during the assessment process. The inspectors have to ensure that the company is committed to maintaining the safety standards in is operations. The company must also ensure that the employees are committed to maintenance of safety standards. This is because the auditors and assessors always perform checks to determine whether the employees themselves are committed to the implementation of the safety case regime (Saiko, 2000). However, it is also important to note that the auditors are mainly concerned about the safety management practices and policies that are in place. The company must therefore ensure that it has the right management practices with regard to the safety of the employees. Performance measurements are also important during the reviews. This is because the performance standards are useful in determining the effectiveness of the safety system put in place by the company. The performance standards specify what has to be done to uphold the safety of the employees and also the roles and responsibilities of each operator in the company (Leimkuhler, 2010). Performance measurements are therefore useful to the company in terms of upholding the safety of the employees. The performance measurement also provides the company with the opportunity to make improvements with regard to safety (Fleig, 2005). The audits on performance will therefore enable the company to take any corrective mechanisms to improve its performance and general safety. The audits and reviews are important tools for the implementation of the safety case regime. It may be carried out from time to time to determine the compliance of the company with the maters relating to safety. The reports of the internal audits may also be used to analyze the safety standards of the company. The company should therefore be compliant in order to register positive results during the reviews. Conclusion In conclusion, the safety case regime is important in ensuring that the employees work under a safe environment. This is also applicable to the facility that the company intends to set up in Australia. The legislation concerning the safety practices in Australia are very strict and should be observed at all times. The company is also required to describe its facility so as to determine the safety standards in relation to the Australian laws in the oil sector. The audits and reviews are also very important in the implementation of the safety case regime in Australia. This is done for the purpose of determining the compliance of the company. References NOPSEMA, (2012). Legislation and regulations. Retrieved on 12 September 2012 from Paton, N. (2008). 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