IRF Meeting to Be Held in Stavanger, The Norwegian Oil Capital

Safety regulators from all over the world will be meeting in Stavanger this autumn to review follow-up activities in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon disaster.

The International Regulators’ Forum (IRF) conference in Vancouver last autumn resolved to hold an extraordinary session during 2011 to update the industry on the status of work and the execution of IRF-initiated assignments.

It has since been decided to stage this meeting in the Norwegian ”oil capital” from 4-5 October.

The International Regulators Forum (IRF) was established in 1994 by a group of authorities who wanted to promote a common understanding of issues related to safety, health and the environment.

The forum provides for exchange of ideas and opinions regarding methods and principles applied to efficient exercise of the supervision of safety and working environment, and exchanges facts regarding the supervision activities and informs one another regarding relevant technical issues, regulatory development, etc.

Within the possibilities and limitations stipulated through national frameworks for the activities, this will contribute to promoting a common understanding among the members with regard to issues such as: the role of the supervision authorities, use of policy instruments in the supervision, supervision methods, competence development, the relationship between the authorities and industry, etc.

The following participate in the co-operation in addition to Norway: Australia, Brazil, Canada, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the USA.

[mappress]

Source:Ptil, February  9, 2011; Image: Irf