Offshore Installations (Operational Safety, Health and Welfare) Regulations 1976
| Jurisdiction | UK Non-devolved |
| Citation | SI 1976/1019 |
1976 No. 1019
OFFSHORE INSTALLATIONS
The Offshore Installations (Operational Safety, Health and Welfare) Regulations 197629thJune 1976
14thJuly 1976
15thNovember 1976
ARRANGEMENT OF REGULATIONS
PART I
PRELIMINARY
1. Citation, commencement, interpretation and application.
PART II
SAFETY
2. Hazardous areas.
3. Work permits.
4. Dangerous substances.
5. General maintenance.
6. Independent examination of lifting appliances and gear.
7. Written instructions.
8. Movement of offshore installations.
9. Safety of equipment.
10. Construction, etc. of equipment—general.
11. Construction, etc. of electrical equipment.
12. Dangerous machinery and apparatus.
13. Marking of lifting appliances and gear.
14. General safety.
15. Drilling and production.
16. Personal safety equipment.
17. Electrical equipment.
18. Signalling equipment.
19. Radiotelephone operators.
20. Operational information.
21. Helicopter landing officer.
22. Helicopter operations.
23. Helicopter movements.
24. Vessels, aircraft and hovercraft.
PART III
HEALTH
25. Drinking water.
26. Provisions.
27. Sick bay.
PART IV
WELFARE
28. Young persons.
29. Hours of work.
PART V
MANAGEMENT
30. Operational staff.
31. Medical staff.
PART VI
GENERAL DUTIES, CIVIL LIABILITY AND OFFENCES
32. Duties of persons.
33. Civil liability.
34. Offences.
SCHEDULES
Schedule 1—
Examination and Testing of Equipment.
Part I —Intervals for Examination of Certain Equipment.
Part II —Time or Intervals for Examination and Testing of Certain Equipment.
Part III —Time or Intervals for Thorough Examination and Testing of Certain Equipment.
Part IV —Form of Record of Thorough Examination of Lifting Appliance or Lifting Gear.
Schedule 2—
Matters to be Provided for in Written Instructions.
Schedule 3—
Marking of Safe Loads on Multiple Slings.
Schedule 4—
Provisions relating to Drilling and Production.
Part I —Provisions relating to Drilling.
Part II —Provisions relating to Production.
Schedule 5—
Medical Stores for Sick Bays.
Part I —Equipment.
Part II —Medicines.
Part III —Dressings.
Part IV —Sundries.
Part V —Instruments and Appliances.
Part VI —First Aid Kits.
Whereas the Secretary of State has consulted pursuant to section 7(1) of the Mineral Workings (Offshore Installations) Act 1971(a) (hereinafter referred to as "the Act"), with organisations in the United Kingdom appearing to him to be representative of the persons who will be affected by the following Regulations,
Now, therefore, the Secretary of State, in exercise of his powers under sections 3, 6 and 7 of and paragraphs 1, 2, 3, 4(1), 5(2), 8, 11(1), 13 and 14 of the Schedule to, the Act, as extended and amended by section 44 of the Petroleum and Submarine Pipe-lines Act 1975(b), and of all other powers enabling him in that behalf, hereby makes the following Regulations:—
PART I
PRELIMINARY
Citation, commencement, interpretation and application
1.—(1) These regulations may be cited as the Offshore Installations (Operational Safety, Health and Welfare) Regulations 1976 and shall come into operation on 15th November 1976.
(2) In these Regulations:—
"electrical equipment" means, in relation to an offshore installation, any part of the equipment of the installation designed for the generation, conversion, storage, transmission, transforming or utilisation of electricity;
"employee" means an individual who has entered into or works under a contract of service or apprenticeship with an employer whether such contract is express or implied, oral or in writing;
"fixed installation" means an offshore installation which is not a mobile installation;
"hazardous area" has the meaning given by Regulation 2(1) below;
"helicopter landing officer" has the meaning given by Regulation 21 below;
"inspector" means a person appointed under section 6(4) of the Act;
"installation manager" includes, where no manager is appointed pursuant to section 4 of the Act, any person made responsible by the owner for safety, health and welfare on an offshore installation;
"lifting appliance" means any lifting machine or appliance used for the purpose of moving or suspending persons, goods or materials;
(a) 1971 c. 61.
(b) 1975 c. 74.
"lifting gear" includes hooks, slings and all means of attaching such gear to a load;
"mechanical equipment" means, in relation to an offshore installation, any part of the equipment of the installation designed for the generation, conversion, storage, transmission or utilisation of mechanical energy which is not electrical equipment;
"medical stores" has the meaning given by Regulation 27(6) below;
"medically trained person" has the meaning given by Regulation 31(2) below;
"mobile installation" means an offshore installation which can be moved from place to place without major dismantling or modification, whether or not it has its own motive power;
"radiotelephone operator" has the meaning given by Regulation 18(2) below;
"responsible person" means, in relation to any structure, equipment, operation or substance, the relevant competent person appointed under Regulation 30(1) below to be responsible for the particular activity or thing;
"sick bay" has the meaning given by Regulation 27(1) below;
"work permit" has the meaning given by Regulation 3(3) below.
(3) The Interpretation Act 1889(a) shall apply to the interpretation of these Regulations as it applies to the interpretation of an Act of Parliament.
(4) These Regulations shall apply to—
(a) established fixed offshore installations maintained for underwater exploitation or exploration to which the Act applies; and
(b) mobile offshore installations, not being dredging installations registered (whether in the United Kingdom or elsewhere) as vessels, when stationed in waters to which the Act applies.
PART II
SAFETY
Hazardous areas
2.—(1) There shall be included in the written particulars comprised in the operations manual relating to any offshore installation submitted to a certifying authority under Regulation 5(1) of the Offshore Installations (Construction and Survey) Regulations 1974(b) drawings of the installation clearly and accurately showing any part of the installation in which there is likely to be danger of fire or explosion from the ignition of gas, vapour or volatile liquid (in these Regulations referred to as a "hazardous area").
(2) The door or hatch for any opening giving access to a hazardous area shall bear on the outside the words "HAZARDOUS AREA" in red capital letters at least 50 millimetres high.
(a) 1889 c. 63.
(b) S.I. 1974/289 (1974 I, p. 1013).
Work permits
3.—(1) No welding or flame cutting or any other work involving or giving rise to a source of ignition, nor any work on electrical equipment, nor any work at a place where there is inadequate ventilation for diluting and dispelling injurious or flammable fumes, vapours or gases likely to be given off or for providing a sufficiency of oxygen, shall be carried on by any person on any offshore installation otherwise than in accordance with the written instruction of the installation manager given to a responsible person, which instruction shall state the nature of the work, the period during which the work may take place and any precautions to be taken to avoid endangering the safety of the installation and persons thereon.
(2) On receipt of the written instruction the responsible person shall take all practicable steps to ensure the safety of the installation and persons thereon.
(3) The responsible person shall give to the person in charge of the work an authority in writing (in these Regulations referred to as "a work permit") which shall be signed by the responsible person and shall specify the work to be carried out, the precautions which have been taken to ensure that the work is carried out safely, any particular procedures to be followed or particular equipment to be used or worn, the period for which the permit is to continue in force and the name of the person to whom it is issued.
(4) It shall be the duty of the person to whom any work permit has been issued, on the work to which it relates being completed or ceasing to be carried on by him:—
(a) to sign thereon a declaration that the work which he has carried out has been properly performed and either completed or ceased to be carried on and that the equipment affected by the work has been left in a safe condition; and
(b) to deliver the work permit to a responsible person.
(5) On receipt of the work permit the responsible person shall check and satisfy himself that the work to which it relates has been properly performed and that any affected equipment has been left in a safe condition.
(6) When satisfied that the work required by the written instruction of the installation manager has been properly completed, the responsible person shall check that any tools or apparatus required in connection with that work have been removed and shall, when safe so to do, remove any thing temporarily required for safety while that work was in progress. When the responsible person has checked and satisfied himself that normal operations may be safely resumed he shall deliver to the installation manager—
(a) all work permits relating to the work required by the manager's written instruction;
(b) the written instruction; and
(c) a certificate signed by the responsible person that—
(i) the required work has been properly completed;
(ii) all tools and apparatus and any thing temporarily required for safety have been removed; and
(iii) normal operations may be safely resumed.
(7) The installation manager shall ensure that a record of the issue and return of work permits shall be preserved and kept in a safe place on the installation or at such other place as an inspector may approve for a period of at least one year from the date of issue.
(8) The issue of a work permit shall not affect any obligation of any person subsisting by virtue of these Regulations or otherwise.
Dangerous substances
4.—(1) No radioactive, corrosive, toxic or explosive...
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