Inspections and Enforcement

Inspecting Offshore Facilities and Enforcing Federal Regulations

The OCS Lands Act authorizes and requires the Bureau to provide for both an annual scheduled inspection and a periodic unscheduled (unannounced) inspection of all oil and gas operations on the outer continental shelf. The annual inspection examines all safety equipment designed to prevent blowouts, fires, spills, or other major accidents.

The Bureau inspectors perform these inspections using a national checklist called the Potential Incident of Noncompliance (PINC) list. This list is a compilation of yes/no questions derived from all regulated safety and environmental requirements.