BSEE Issues Revised Regulations For Safety And Environmental Management Systems (SEMS II)

The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) last week issued revised regulations for Safety and Environmental Management Systems (SEMS II) governing exploration, development, and production operations on the Outer Continental Shelf. SEMS II requires operators to (1) create procedures giving all personnel stop work authority, (2) establish who has the ultimate work authority on the facility for operational safety and decision-making, (3) promote the participation by employees and management in the mitigation or elimination of hazards, and (4) empower all personnel to report safety or environmental violations to BSEE. But the requirements in SEMS II most significant to the business of many operators are the new rules governing third-party audits and job safety analyses.