INTERNATIONAL REGULATORS' FORUM

The scope of the offshore oil and gas industry is global. Both major and independent companies work around the world and are required to deal with a number of different regulatory regimes. They regularly move personnel and equipment from one country to another, and in some cases, integrated operations extend across international boundaries.

Recognizing the global nature of the industry, the CNSOPB is an active member of the International Regulators' Forum (IRF). IRF members believe that both industry and government benefit from a good offshore oil and gas safety record practice, which leads to lower costs and greater public confidence. In 1994 it was recognized that government regulators working together had the potential to improve safety performance within their jurisdictions by sharing information. This led to the creation of the IRF whose members are dedicated to the common cause of raising offshore health and safety standards.

The objectives of the IRF are:

• To promote best sustainable safety performance globally and the concept that it is inseparable from and interdependent with best sustainable economic performance.
• To enable an exchange of information among regulators on:
  - Offshore health and safety trends;
  - Industry health and safety performance;
  - Lessons from incidents;
  - Industry best practice;
  - Regulatory practice; and
  - Measuring the effectiveness of regulatory activities.
• To provide a network of offshore petroleum health and safety regulators for mutual support and advise when required.

IRF participants are:

• Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board
• Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board
• National Offshore Petroleum Safety Authority, (NOPSA)
• Petroleum Safety Authority, Norway, (PSA)
• US Minerals Management Service, (MMS)
• New Zealand Department of Labor, (DOL)
• Brazilian National Petroleum Agency, (ANP)
• The Health and Safety Executive, Great Britain, (HSE)
• State Supervision of Mines, the Netherlands, (SSM)

Please visit the IRF website for more information about this forum, and to learn about some of the initiatives it is involved with.