BOEMRE Strengthens Offshore Inspections Program
Improvements Include Use of Multi-Disciplinary Inspection Teams and Expansion of Training and Recruiting Programs
WASHINGTON –
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE)
Director Michael R. Bromwich announced today that the bureau will
begin to use multiple-person inspection teams for offshore oil and
gas inspections. This internal process improvement will improve
oversight and help ensure that offshore operations proceed safely
and responsibly. The new process will allow teams to inspect
multiple operations simultaneously and thoroughly, and enhance the
quality of inspections on larger facilities.
“We are bolstering
our inspection program with additional resources and new
approaches,” said BOEMRE Director Michael R. Bromwich. “As more
inspectors are hired, we will be deploying multi-disciplinary
inspection teams instead of individual inspectors, providing broader
oversight to ensure that offshore operators are complying with
federal regulations and conducting their operations in a safe and
environmentally responsible manner.”
In addition to
on-the-job training, BOEMRE recently established the National
Offshore Training Center and has developed the agency’s first formal
training curriculum, which has been piloted with new BOEMRE
inspectors. An initial introductory course for new inspectors was
recently held for 13 new BOEMRE inspectors. In the coming months, 24
additional courses will be developed covering specific areas of
offshore inspections. BOEMRE is currently in the process of hiring a
training director who will be have the responsibility to further
develop the bureau’s training
policies, procedures, and programs and improve the technical and
professional capabilities of offshore inspections and compliance
personnel.
“We
are extremely proud of the steps we have taken to bolster our
inspections program,” said Director Bromwich. “We believe that
establishing a formal curriculum for inspector training is central
to developing a more rigorous and consistent inspections program
across the agency.”
Multiple reviews
and investigations, including by the National Commission on the
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, the Department of
the Interior’s Inspector General, the Department’s Safety Oversight
Board, and multiple Committees of the House and Senate, have
highlighted the need for reform in the bureau’s inspections program.
The multi-disciplinary team approach and the need for a national
training program were recommended by BOEMRE’s Inspections Strategies
implementation team, one of several internal implementation teams
that have been analyzing critical aspects of BOEMRE’s structures,
functions and processes, and implementing needed changes.
BOEMRE will
continue to focus its recruiting efforts to attract more subject
matter experts to bolster existing expertise in the bureau’s
district offices. Specifically, the bureau is looking to expand
expertise in well operations, production operations, safety and
environmental management systems, accident investigations,
measurement systems and deepwater drilling.
Director Bromwich
has conducted two nationwide recruitment tours to colleges and
universities for positions in BOEMRE’s engineering and environmental
sciences career fields. The Director highlighted, among many
benefits, that the bureau offers a Student Loan Repayment Program to
petroleum engineers, civil engineers, geologists and geophysicists
who join BOEMRE.
The bureau has also
made efforts to contact various petroleum engineer organizations to
encourage retired professional engineers to bring their experience,
expertise and familiarity with complex technological and engineering
issues associated with offshore drilling to BOEMRE. These efforts
are ongoing and will assist with the goal of expanding the number of
BOEMRE offshore oil and gas inspectors.
Additional information about BOEMRE
recruiting efforts and current openings can be found at:
http://www.boemre.gov/jobs.
Contact: BOEMRE
Public Affairs