Offshore regulatory agencies

In collaboration with other regulatory agencies and industry stakeholders, BOEM should lead development and implementation of a comprehensive health and safety program for workers on offshore wind farms. Through new or updated memoranda of understanding with OSHA and USCG, BOEM should clearly define roles and responsibilities and indicate which standards could apply for all phases of wind... 

In addition to the regulatory agencies described above there are many industry associations that provide guidance and standards for companies working offshore. The standards published by some of these agencies are sometimes adopted into law (for example, API RP 14C has been incorporated into the SEMS rule). 

To fulfill its charge, the committee met five times over a 1 -year period and was briefed by stakeholders. To address its first task, the committee reviewed the offshore wind farm environment and identified hazards unique to offshore wind farms. Next, the committee compared hazards of offshore wind farms with those of the offshore oil and gas industry. For its second task, the committee examined the jurisdictional authority of relevant federal agencies and the regulatory approaches offered by each and determined whether gaps or overlaps of jurisdiction exist. For its third task, the committee evaluated the current regulatory framework and provided options for enhancing regulations for worker health and safety on wind farms on the OCS. 

The regulatory picture for offshore operations in U.S. federal waters is difficult to follow because so many agencies are involved. These include the following in a rough order of importance ... 

Given this background the API created the Center for Offshore Safety (COS) following Deepwater Horizon. The intent for the COS was to supplement and complement formal regulations, and have a relationship to BSEE and the other agencies analogous to that between INPO and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). 

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