BSEE expands inspection program with risk-based system

New Orleans — The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement has introduced a risk-based inspection program intended to improve safety for offshore oil and gas workers.

Designed to complement the agency’s National Safety Inspection Program, the new system assesses data from inspections and incident reports to assign risk-factor scores to production facilities in the Gulf of Mexico. It “looks beyond compliance and assesses the integrity of critical safety systems on facilities and operations, those that have had multiple incidents of noncompliance or events and may need more attention,” the agency states in a March 12 press release.

The agency then will analyze the data to see which areas require follow-up.

BSEE is set to launch risk-based inspections this month, focusing on crane operations.

“Our inspectors are the eyes and ears of what’s really happening offshore at any given time,” Jason Mathews, chief of BSEE’s Gulf of Mexico Region Safety Management Office, said in the release. “Without them, my team would never be able to do their analysis. Together, we strive for continuous improvement so that offshore energy operations are safe for workers and the environment. Director (Scott) Angelle made it clear this was a priority to improve safety. We are excited about making the [Outer Continental Shelf] a safe place.”