Offshore topics

These topic pages show how HSE's Offshore Division (OSD) tackles the wide spectrum of health and safety activity required by the offshore oil and gas industry.

• Accommodation - the standards required for accommodation on offshore installations
• Ageing - addresses ageing and life extension issues relevant to offshore installations.
• Corrosion - protecting offshore installations from environmental and operational damage
• Diving - protecting the safety of divers in the offshore oil and gas industry
• Electrical and control systems - preventing electric shock and maintaining safe systems and controls
• Evacuation, escape and rescue (EER) - securing an effective emergency response to emergencies affecting persons on an offshore installation or engaged in activities in connection with it
• Fire and explosion - addresses fire and explosion issues on offshore installations, including prevention, control and mitigation
• Human factors - covers human factors, organisational issues and management. HSE have a list of key topics that impact on managing human performance in the offshore oil and gas industry. 
• International liaison - how HSE works with a number of international bodies and experts to exchange information, support and advice
• Marine and aviation - includes design of helidecks, marine aspects of evacuation, escape and rescue (EER), performance standards of survival craft, marine and aviation communications, aviation operations and collision risk management
• Maritime integrity - hazards include loss of stability, arising from collision or uncontrolled flooding; and loss of position, arising from failure in the mooring or dynamic positioning (DP) system
• Materials - selecting and maintaining engineering materials that can withstand the challenging North Sea environment
• Mechanical engineering - includes lifting operations, pressure systems integrity, machinery and rotating equipment
• Occupational health - protecting the physical and mental health of workers and ensuring their welfare in the workplace
• Pipelines - pipelines covered by the Pipeline Safety Regulations 1996, particularly those known as major accident hazard pipelines
• Process integrity - a wide range of process topics, including hazard identification, safe operating limits, information, instructions and training
• Research - sets out our research strategy and current priorities
• Safety cases - how dutyholders can comply with the Offshore Installations (Safety Case) Regulations 2005 (SCR05)
• Safety management systems - applying human and organisational techniques to assess effectiveness and determine areas for improvement
• Structural integrity - designing and maintaining offshore installations to withstand waves, impact and earthquake
• Verification - written schemes for ensuring that safety-critical elements and specified plant are suitable, and will remain in good repair and condition
• Wells - how dutyholders can ensure the safe design and construction of oil and gas wells and the safe performance of drilling and well servicing operations
• Working time - applying the Working Times Regulations offshore, including the organisation of working time, and examining fatigue and shift patterns