Safety off Irish Coasts

This section deals with the safety of mineral exploration off our coasts.

The HSA has responsibilities in relation to the inspection of offshore workplaces. Work offshore is goverened by the 2005 Safety Health and Welfare at Work Act and specifically by the Safety, Health and Welfare(Offshore Installations) Act,1987 .

In addition to the Act there are a sets of  regulations which govern the various activities offshore.

These consist of

S.I. No. 13 of 1991- Safety, Health and Welfare (Offshore Installations) (Installation Managers) Regulations, 1991

S.I. No. 14/1991-Safety, Health and Welfare (Offshore Installations) (Emergency Procedures) Regulations, 1991

S.I. No. 15/1991 - Safety, Health and Welfare (Offshore Installations) (Life-Saving Appliances) Regulations, 1991

S.I. No. 16/1991: Safety, Health and Welfare (Offshore Installations) (Operations) Regulations, 1991

Commission for Energy Regulation and Offshore Safety.

In addition to the HSA, the CER has an input into offshore safety.

The Petroleum Safety Framework.

The Electricity Regulation Act 1999, as amended by the Petroleum (Exploration and Extraction) Safety Act 2010  gives the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER), with the HSA, responsibility for the safety regulation of petroleum exploration and extraction activities in Ireland. The Act specifically includes a requirement for the CER to establish and implement a risk-based petroleum safety framework.  The framework is the system used to regulate the safety of petroleum activities, and in particular designated petroleum activities, carried out by petroleum undertakings. The framework established by the Act is risk-based, recognising that hazards may be presented by the activities to be regulated and it requires petroleum undertakings to reduce risks to a level that is as low as is reasonably practicable (ALARP).

To facilitate co-operation between the HSA and the CER, both parties have signed a Memorandum of Understanding, which is regularly reviewed.