Yesterday, BSEE Director Brian Salerno spoke at the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board Safety Conference in Newfoundland, Canada. The one-day conference showcased best global practices in offshore safety and featured international experts from industry and government.
Director Salerno discussed the United States hybrid regulatory approach - incorporating performance-based standards with more traditional prescriptive requirements. He did so in the context of risk management with an emphasis on the Safety and Environmental Management System regulations, the importance of data sharing, and identifying leading indicators. Director Salerno also spoke about the importance of the hybrid approach in new frontier areas, 'As we look towards development in new frontier areas, such as ultra deepwater settings, High Pressure / High Temperature Environments, or the Arctic, our hybrid approach will be more important than ever. We are focusing on how new or even existing technologies could fail prior to their use in a real world setting. We want to build an understanding in advance of a technology's use to identify what could go wrong and build in safeguards to prevent failures from happening.'
In addition to Director Salerno, the Safety Conference featured keynote speakers from Canada, Australia, and Norway. The conference was an opportunity for industry and regulators to come together and talk about ways to share information, ideas, and drive towards greater compatibility despite different regulatory regimes.
