Published directions and notices
As part of its regulatory functions under the OPGGS Act and to increase transparency, NOPSEMA publishes directions, prohibition notices and improvement notices. These regulatory enforcement actions are published within 7 days and no later than 21 days of issuance and the provisions for publication do not apply to any other types of notices, letters or enforcement actions issued by NOPSEMA or NOPSEMA inspectors.
Published directions, improvement and prohibition notices will not be removed when they cease to have effect, however, in the event a direction/notice is the subject of external review it will be removed. Where a direction is revoked, the direction is cancelled from the date specified in the revocation notice. NOPSEMA will ensure that as far as is reasonably practicable all personal information as defined in the Privacy Act 1988 is redacted from these documents prior to publication. When a direction or notice is marked closed, it means that the duty holder has notified NOPSEMA that the direction or notice has been complied with.
Under Part 6.2 of the OPGGS Act, NOPSEMA and the responsible Commonwealth Minister have powers to issue directions to petroleum or greenhouse gas titleholders. NOPSEMA can issue three types of directions: general directions, significant incident directions and remedial directions. The directions powers are used by NOPSEMA for enforcing compliance with the OPGGS Act and associated regulations. Failure to comply with directions is an offence.
A prohibition notice may be issued if a NOPSEMA inspector is satisfied on reasonable grounds that there is an immediate threat to the health or safety of any person or an immediate and significant threat to the environment. A prohibition notice stops the duty holder from continuing their activity and will only cease to have effect when a NOPSEMA inspector is satisfied adequate action has been taken to remove the threat specified in the notice. Failure to comply with a prohibition notice is an offence.
An improvement notice may be issued if a NOPSEMA inspector believes the duty holder or titleholder is contravening or has contravened a provision of offshore petroleum Commonwealth OHS or environmental law and as a result there is, or could be, a risk to the health and safety of any person or a significant threat to the environment. The notice will cease to have effect when the responsible duty holder or titleholder takes the action specified in the notice. Failure to comply with an improvement notice is an offence.
Sort published directions and notices
| Type Of Notice | Date issued | Organisation | Facility / activity | Notice | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Environmental Improvement Notice Failure to maintain trained and competent personnel resulting in an inadequate capacity to coordinate and manage an oil spill response as required by the accepted environment plan.
|
21/06/2017 | PTTEP Australasia (Ashmore Cartier) Pty Ltd (PTTEP AA) | Montara Operations | A557264.pdf | Complied with |
| OHS Improvement Notice Failure to take all reasonable practicable steps to ensure electrical equipment classified as "EX" is fit for purpose.
|
25/05/2017 | Esso Australia Pty Ltd | Barracouta Offshore Platform Facility | A553917.pdf | Complied with |
| Environmental Improvement Notice Failure to maintain trained and competent personnel resulting in an inadequate capacity to coordinate and manage an oil spill response as required by the accepted environment plan.
|
17/05/2017 | Santos Limited | Mutineer-Exeter Development Field Operations | A552328.pdf | Complied with |
| Environmental Improvement Notice Inadequate or poorly-implemented processes to obtain representative samples of spilt oil may result in failure, or unnecessary delays in the identification and exclusion of potential sources of a spill.
|
19/04/2017 | Esso Australia Pty Ltd | West Tuna Platform | A549511.pdf | Complied with |
| OHS Improvement Notice Failure to isolate the release of a significant volume of hydrocarbon gas resulting from an instrument line failure associated with a wellhead gas lift configuration.
|
13/04/2017 | Esso Australia Pty Ltd | Various facilities | A549649.pdf | Complied with |
| OHS Improvement Notice Inadequate control of maintenance of safety critical equipment could lead to a loss of containment and major accident event (MAE).
|
05/04/2017 | Halliburton Australia Pty Ltd | Atwood Osprey | A547293.pdf | Complied with |
| OHS Improvement Notice Inadequate control of maintenance of safety critical equipment could lead to a loss of containment and major accident event (MAE).
|
05/04/2017 | ConocoPhillips Australia Exploration Pty Ltd | Atwood Osprey | A547288.pdf | Complied with |
| OHS Improvement Notice Inadequate control of maintenance of safety critical equipment could lead to a loss of containment and major accident event (MAE).
|
05/04/2017 | Atwood Australian Waters Drilling Pty Ltd | Atwood Osprey | A547291.pdf | Complied with |
| OHS Improvement Notice Use of the surge tank, separator and steam heat exchanger for well testing
|
29/03/2017 | Atwood Australian Waters Drilling Pty Ltd | Atwood Osprey | A546320.pdf | Complied with |
| OHS Improvement Notice Increased risk of multiple serious injuries or fatalities due to loss of integrity of TEMPSC in a platform abandonment event.
|
23/02/2017 | Woodside Energy Ltd | Goodwyn Alpha Facility | A541303.pdf | Complied with |