Extensive breaches of the rules governing observance, supervision and monitoring of working hours on the Norwegian continental shelf have been uncovered by Statoil.
That emerges from an audit report from the group covering the observation of working time regulations on mobile units.
The study identifies weaknesses in the routines for monitoring these rules at rig contractors, service companies and Statoil itself.
“This is unacceptable,” comments Henrik Carlsen, executive vice president for Exploration & Production Norway. "In close cooperation with its contractors, Statoil will ensure better routines and an improved culture to avert breaches of the rules."
He says that no work is so urgent that it justifies being pursued at the expense of safety and notes that breaches of working hour rules take place throughout the industry.
Many improvement measures were launched even while the audit was under way, and Statoil will be tightening its supervisory routines both in-house and with contractors.