The IRF is comprised of regulatory
agencies with responsibilities for offshore facility safety. The first
meeting was held in Houston in 1994, and annual meetings have been held
subsequently. In addition to the organizing event, MMS has hosted three
other meetings – one in Houston, one in the Washington area, and one in
Santa Barbara. Currently, representatives from the U.S., the U.K.,
Brazil, Norway, Canada, the Netherlands, Australia, and New Zealand
participate in the IRF. Participants share information on
technological advances, safety issues, accident investigations,
regulatory policies, international standards and conventions,
performance measurement, and research. Members may also exchange
personnel, and establish reciprocal agreements.
Ongoing Projects:
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International Regulators
Offshore Safety Conference – 79 nations have ongoing or proposed
offshore oil and gas operations. These nations could
benefit from the experiences of other regulators and the sharing
of accident data, standards, performance measures, and
procedures. Consistent procedures would facilitate international
commerce and could significantly reduce operating costs. The next International
Regulators Offshore Safety Conference, organized by the IRF
and hosted by the U.S.,
will be held in Miami, Florida from December 3 to 6, 2007.
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International Safety Award –
Recognize outstanding safety performance internationally.
The first
award, named after former MMS Associate Director Carolita
Kallaur, was presented at the
London Conference in
March 2005.
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Cooperation on Standards: Share
resources in monitoring international standards activities.
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International Incident Data and
Performance Measures: Develop a common set of measures. Develop a
common incident database. The IRF has reached agreement on a common
set of definitions and measures that will allow us to compare the
frequency of accidents from region to region.
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Personnel Exchange: Participate
in ongoing personnel exchanges as funds permit. Also, at the
request of an IRF member, other IRF agencies have participated in
short-term projects to assess regulatory or safety concerns.
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Material Handling and
Mechanization of Drilling Rigs: Assess crane safety issues and the
need for common policies. Assess the need for international
requirements for automated pipe-handling equipment and other worker
safety measures. This important effort will lead to common crane
safety policies and has drawn worldwide attention to crane and
materials handling issues.
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Cooperate on other safety and
pollution prevention matters. |
The following countries participate in
the IRF:
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Australia |
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Brazil |
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Canada |
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Netherlands |
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New
Zealand |
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Norway |
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United
Kingdom |
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United
States |
The MMS has
joined with regulators who form the International Regulators Forum to
organize a major conference for
the regulators of all coastal states with an interest in
offshore oil and gas development in Miami in December 2007. The
purpose of the conference is to share experiences and to compare
differences in regulatory approach and safety performance.
The International Regulators Forum prepared a
report that examines the worldwide
picture on offshore lifting and mechanical lifting issues and
reviews national initiatives to share best practices in order to improve
effectiveness in regulating these risks.
(142 KB; 03/17/2005)
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Last Updated:
05/01/2009,
12:18 PM
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