Environment Report 2014

4.3 Industry Initiatives

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4.3.1 Oil Release Initiatives

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The UK offshore oil and gas industry endeavours to reduce the number of oil releases and invests in a number of initiatives with this objective.

Asset integrity is a key focus. The sector invests heavily in the maintenance and monitoring of pipelines, which are surveyed every one to two years to ensure pipeline integrity. In recent years, a set of asset integrity key performance indicators (KPIs) have been put in place to demonstrate progress. The industry has engaged with its safety partner, Step Change in Safety (SCiS), for example, to reduce HCRs through the publication of HCR reduction and mechanical joint integrity guidance, as well as running an accompanying e-learning course. In addition, the focus for the 2013 SCiS ‘Joined-Up Thinking’ engagement packs was HCRs. These packs draw together good practice from across SCiS’s steering groups and are designed to increase the workforce’s awareness of different safety issues. Oil & Gas UK’s Major Hazards Management Forum, meanwhile, has issued Supplementary Guidance on the RIDDOR Reporting of Hydrocarbon Releases 20 . This combination of initiatives contributed to a 49 per cent reduction in the number of reportable HCRs over a three-year period to March 2013. Further details on HCRs can be found in Oil & Gas UK’s Health & Safety Report 2014 21 . Through the FishSAFE initiative 22 , the industry works with third parties to map the geographical distribution of offshore surface and subsea infrastructure. This promotes awareness of infrastructure locations in the marine environment and helps to prevent collisions. • Mapping of environmentally sensitive areas along the UK coastline to ensure an appropriate level of resources are allocated in the unlikely event of shoreline oiling • Developing an oil spill response toolkit which describes the equipment required to implement a response and considerations for use • Creating a regional waste management plan for oiled waste to enable effective management following an oil spill (see Section 7). 4.3.2 Chemical Release Initiatives As the majority of chemical releases from 2011 to 2013 are from hydraulic systems, the industry is currently working on guidelines for the use of hydraulic fluids offshore to minimise their release to the marine environment. Furthermore, to address operational releases, significant resource is also being put into developing procedures and regular training so that chemical, as well as oil releases caused by human error and maintenance are kept to a minimum. The industry is continually assessing its oil spill response capability and increasing its preparedness. Through Oil & Gas UK’s Oil Spill Response Forum, a number of initiatives are currently under way including:

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20 The Supplementary Guidelines on the RIDDOR Reporting of Hydrocarbon Releases are available to download at www.oilandgasuk.co.uk/publications 21 Oil & Gas UK’s Health & Safety Report 2014 is available to download at www.oilandgasuk.co.uk/Health_Safety_Report_2014.cfm 22 Find out more about the FishSAFE Initiative at www.fishsafe.eu/en/home.aspx

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