Since the UK left the EU, the Offshore Major Accident Regulator (OMAR) is the UKs offshore competent authority, previously known as the Offshore Safety Directive Regulator. How HSE regulates the offshore industry has stayed the same.
Overview
The Offshore Major Accident Hazards Advisory Committee (OMAHAC) was established in March 2016 to meet the requirements of the Directive 2013/30/EU on the safety of offshore oil and gas operations. The Directive required member states to establish mechanisms for effective tripartite consultation to consider major accident hazard prevention and associated environmental issues. The members of the Offshore Industry Advisory Committee (OIAC) sanctioned OIAC to be reconstituted to evolve into a strategic focused committee with revised terms of reference and new ways of working.
OMAHAC is a tripartite committee that includes members who represent regulators, operators and owners and worker representatives. It will support the work of the Offshore Major Accident Regulator (OMAR) in the management and control of offshore major accident hazards.
You can contact OMAHAC by email.
Membership
- Health & Safety Executive (HSE)
- Offshore Energy UK (OEUK)
- Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning (OPRED)
- Health & Safety Executive NI
- RMT Offshore Energy Branch
- Maritime and Coastguard Agency
- Unite the Union
- UK Chamber of Shipping / British Rig Operators Association (BROA)
- International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA)
- Step Change in Safety
- International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC)
Terms of reference
The offshore major accident hazards advisory committee (OMAHAC) is an advisory committee on offshore major accident hazards that will support the work of the Offshore Major Accident Regulator (OMAR) (the competent authority) in securing consistent and targeted regulation of the management and control of major accident hazards relevant to the offshore oil and gas industries by:
- enabling dialogue and cooperation between the competent authority, employers, operators, workers and other relevant stakeholder groups regarding the management and control of offshore major accident hazards
- bringing together all the regulators with an influence on the management and control of major accident hazards associated with the offshore extraction of oil and gas, with a view to coordinating their regulatory approaches and priorities
- providing the competent authority with a mechanism to consult stakeholders on issues bearing on the management and control of offshore major accident hazards and, from time to time, in exceptional circumstances wider occupational health, safety and environmental issues
- providing the competent authority with the stakeholder’s independent assessment of the standard of the management and control of offshore major accident hazards
- considering the regulatory approaches taken to establish the effective management and control of offshore major accident hazards;
- reviewing periodically the quality and effectiveness of the standards and policies available for the management and control of offshore major accident hazards, advise where improvements are required and, by exception, coordination of research or the production of guidance
- provide oversight to the Evacuation, Escape and Rescue Technical Advisory Group (EERTAG)
Ways of Working
The committee's ways of working are:
- OMAHAC comprises up to 12 members, representing HSE, DESNZ-OPRED, DfT/MCA, HSENI, industry (including verification and well examination bodies) and Trade Unions. All representatives will have an equal voice. Individuals can attend to provide support to OMAHAC, to present papers, or attend as observers (eg safety representatives)
- to be effective, representative organisations will select senior members for the committee with sufficient authority to make decisions and give undertakings on behalf of their constituency
- OMAHAC will normally meet twice a year
- a Chair and Vice-Chair will be appointed for a period of 2 years, with the Vice-Chair becoming the Chair at the end of this period. The Chair will be rotated across member groups (eg regulator followed by Industry stakeholder group)
- decisions will be made by consensus, not majority voting
- annually committee members will review the advisory committee's performance, including assessing membership to maintain efficiency and adequate coverage of the sector
- OMAHAC is not an executive committee, but members will catalyse and facilitate change and develop guidance and standards through influence on their constituent organisations
- all members are expected to honour the agreements made in the advisory committee (eg to encourage the adoption of appropriate guidance or ways of working), and act on these agreements as they conduct, promote, or support offshore oil and gas operations
Meetings
OMAHAC - meetings (links to the National Archives)