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907 Introduction to SEMS II
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SEMS Program Flexibility

Safety is an element that is easier to measure when it is absent. When an accident occurs, it is easy to point to that and say, "they were not safe," and you can then peel back the contributing factors and identify things that should have been visible before the accident. That is why we must proactively identify, quantify, and mitigate risk based on new, relevant data streams. Brian Salerno, Director, BSEE)

two offshore oil platforms far out in the sea
SEMS is a performance-based standard giving operators flexibility in developing and maintaining the program.

Flexible proactive methods include the following:

  1. Operators may conduct job safety analysis (JSA) to recurring events.
  2. Operators have the freedom to select the individual with ultimate work authority (UWA).
  3. Operators can determine training frequency, training methods, and training vendors, except in specific cases where certain training requirements are specified in Section 7 of API RP 75.

BSEE believes the SEMS is a performance standard that gives operators the ability to develop and maintain programs. SEMS also grants to operators the flexibility to design, develop, and deploy their employee participation plan and stop work authority programs.

There is no need to prescribe each aspect of an operator's SEMS training program or how frequently an operator must conduct periodic training. The detailed training requirements for an operator's SEMS programs discussed in Module 4 should be adequate. The standard does state that personnel must be trained to perform work safely and places on operators the responsibility for implementing their training in accordance with the regulations.

Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.

2-5. SEMS gives operators flexibility in developing and maintaining the program because _____.