Bureau Veritas issues first SEMS certificate to Statoil after third-party audit

Bureau Veritas issues first SEMS certificate to Statoil after third-party audit

HOUSTON – Bureau Veritas has awarded certification to Statoil for meeting the Safety and Environmental Management Systems (SEMS) protocols developed by the Center for Offshore Safety (COS), an enhanced set of requirements in the offshore oil and gas industry.

Statoil is the first organization to be issued a SEMS certificate by Bureau Veritas and is also the first offshore operator to successfully complete an independent assessment and demonstrate compliance with the offshore safety and environmental sustainability rule.

The certification recognizes that Statoil Gulf of Mexico E&P’s management system meets industry and regulatory requirements for SEMS. The standard entails thirteen elements, including: management commitment, hazards analysis, change management, operating procedures, safe work practices, training, quality assurance of critical equipment, pre-startup reviews, emergency response, incident investigation, and documentation/record keeping. 

Initially established as a recommended practice in the 1990s, RP 75 was made mandatory in 2011 by the US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE).  The latest iteration of the SEMS framework, referred to as SEMS II, increases focus on human behavior and includes new requirements related to stop-work authority, employee participation, and more. SEMS II also requires that audits be conducted by an independent and accredited third-party auditor by 2015.