Background
In the preparation of the regulations, emphasis was placed on developing regulations which were logical, self-explanatory and simple, without major changes being made in the existing regulation.
The temporary regulations have been prepared in order to provide the PSA with the necessary basis to supervise the land facilities during the period until new regulations have been stipulated.
The regulations apply to the land facilities Kårstø, Sture, Kollsnes, Mongstad, Tjeldbergodden, Melkøya and the Slagentangen refinery and associated pipeline systems.
A decision has been adopted that the regulations shall include the Nyhamna facility in Aukra municipality, associated with the Ormen Lange field. Furthermore, a decision has been adopted to the effect that the regulations shall also apply for three planned gas power plants in Skogn, Hammerfest and Grenland, and that the PSA thus shall have the supervisory responsibility for these plants.
FURTHER DETAILS ABOUT THE TEMPORARY REGULATIONS
The relevant elements from the shelf regulations and the land regulations have been included, either directly or in the form of references, so that an overall overview of the requirements related to health, environment and safety is provided in one document. The guidelines to the land regulations shall also be applied where the land regulations have been made applicable through the temporary regulations. The land regulations have been included in an appendix to the regulations, which indicates how these regulations should be applied.
The regulations' requirements related to management systems are basically a continuation of the Management Regulations on the shelf, but the HSE/IC regulations on land may, however, be applied when complying with the Management Regulations’ requirements for management systems.
The regulations' requirements related to documentation, consents and permits entail simplification for the industry, as certain documents can be made electronically available to the authorities instead of submitting them, the number of permits and consents is reduced and the permit and consent system is coordinated and simplified.
Scope
These regulations apply to safety and working environment at the petroleum facilities at Kårstø, Sture, Kollsnes, Mongstad, Tjeldbergodden, Melkøya, Slagentangen and associated pipeline systems in the area which are subject to
a) Act of 14 June 2002 No. 20 relating to the prevention of fire, explosion and accidents involving hazardous substances and the fire service (the Fire and Explosion Prevention Act),
b) Act of 24 May 1929 No. 4 relating to the supervision of electrical installations (the Supervision Act),
c) Act of 17 June 2005 No. 62 relating to working environment, working hours and employment protection, etc. (the Working Environment Act),
d) Act of 29 November 1996 No. 72 relating to the petroleum activities (the Petroleum Act),
e) Act of 11 June 1976 No. 79 relating to the control of products and consumer services (the Product Control Act) when applying to regulations stipulated in appendices.
For pipeline systems, these regulations apply from the point where the pipeline system first crosses the shore slope to the mainland or island and up to a petroleum facility on land. The shelf regulations apply for pipeline systems in the sea in the jurisdiction of these regulations.
The Ministry can determine that all or parts of the regulations shall apply for any future integrated shelf/land facilities, or other such facilities of this kind, cf. the first subsection of this section, with associated pipeline systems. (So far, it has been decided that the regulations shall include the facility at Nyhamna in Aukra municipality in association with the Ormen Lange field, as well as three planned gas power plants in Skogn, Hammerfest and Grenland, respectively).
Purpose
The purpose of these regulations is to
a) promote high safety and working environment standards,
b) achieve systematic implementation of measures to comply with requirements and achieve the goals laid down in the working environment and safety legislation,
c) further develop and improve safety and working environment standards.
Safety and working environment principles
The activities shall be prudent, based both on an individual and an overall assessment of all factors of importance for planning and implementation of the activities. Considerations must also be made for the specific nature of the activities, local conditions and operational assumptions.
High safety and working environment standards shall be established, maintained and further developed.
The responsible party
Parties who own or operate petroleum facilities or associated pipeline systems as defined in Section 3 of these regulations, relating to definitions, and others who participate in activities which are included in the scope of these regulations, are responsible parties according to these regulations.
The responsible party shall ensure that requirements stipulated in the safety and working environment legislation are complied with.
Parties who own or operate petroleum facilities or pipeline systems as mentioned in the first subsection, shall ensure that everyone contracted to perform work, either personally, through employees or through contractors or subcontractors, complies with requirements stipulated by the safety and working environment legislation.
Facilitating employee participation
The responsible party must ensure that the employees and their elected representatives are given the opportunity to participate in decisions of importance for safety and working environment in the activities according to requirements stipulated by and pursuant to the Working Environment Act and these regulations. Such participation must be ensured in the various phases of the activities.
In order to improve safety and working environment standards, it must be ensured that the employees and their elected representatives are given the opportunity to participate in decisions relating to establishment, follow-up and further development of management systems.
In connection with administrative decisions made pursuant to these regulations, the object of the decisions must ensure that the employee representatives are notified about the decision.
Authority
The PSA or its authorised representative carries out supervision to ensure that the requirements stipulated by or pursuant to the safety and working environment legislation are complied with.
The PSA can, in the scope of these regulations, issue the regulations necessary to implement these regulations and determine that regulations given in appendices shall be amended or cease to have effect on the scope of these regulations.
The PSA can make the administrative decisions necessary to implement the provisions in these regulations, including the regulations given in appendices.
Appendices included in the regulations
The regulations have included an appendix relating to the land regulations which will apply to the scope of the regulations with adaptations. The appendix is part of the regulations.
A number of regulations are given in the appendix which will apply to the land facilities and the relevant pipeline systems with stated adaptations. This applies to fire and explosion prevention, transport, mining, technical facilities etc.
