Safety order issued for Leiv Eiriksson rig

Norwegian offshore safety body, the Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA), has turned a notice of order to Ocean Rig regarding the working environment and emergency preparedness on the Leiv Eiriksson rig into a formal order.

Ocean Rig’s Leiv Eiriksson semi-sub / Image by Lundin Petroleum
Ocean Rig’s Leiv Eiriksson semi-sub / Image by Lundin Petroleum

The PSA said on Friday that it had issued a formal order to Ocean Rig following an audit, conducted from December 6-13, of the management of the working environment and emergency preparedness, the helideck, and the working environment on the Leiv Eiriksson rig.

It is worth reminding that Ocean Rig was taken over by Transocean following a $2.7 billion acquisition deal in December 2018.

The audit identified extensive breaches of regulations, and the PSA issued Ocean Rig with a notification of order on March 8.

The audit showed that Ocean Rig exercised defective systematic management of the working environment and emergency preparedness for the Leiv Eiriksson semi-submersible drilling rig.

Also, findings and deficiencies from a previous audit of emergency preparedness regarding the helideck and the working environment were not fully followed up or rectified.

 

The order

The audit identified nine regulatory non-conformities linked to oversight and control of working environment risk; prioritization, implementation and follow-up of measures; noise exposure harmful to hearing; and follow-up of the working environment for contractors.

The other non-conformities included system for training and competence, evacuation routes, a float-free function for forward rafts, lighting in lifeboats, and personal protective equipment (MOB suits).

Regarding those non-conformities, Ocean Rig is now formally ordered to review the company’s management system for the working environment and emergency preparedness and associated work processes, which is intended to safeguard competence, surveys, risk assessments, rectification of faults and deficiencies, and improvements.

The work should include an analysis of why defects related to management of the working environment and emergency preparedness were not identified and corrected.

A time-delimited schedule for complying with the order shall be sent to the PSA by April 12, 2019. The schedule should describe how this work would be performed and followed up and when the order would be complied with.

The PSA added that a time-delimited schedule for complying with the order should be sent to the safety body by April 12.

The schedule should describe how this work would be performed and followed up and when the order would be complied with. The PSA must be notified when the order has been carried out.