What is SEMS?

SEMS is an acronym that stands for Safety Environmental Management System and is a sweeping requirement that was put into place on November 15, 2011 for the offshore oil & gas industry. Comprised of thirteen key elements, SEMS has fundamentally changed the landscape offshore. The thirteen elements of SEMS are:

• General provisions
• Safety and environmental information
• Hazards analysis
• Management of change
• Operating procedures
• Safe work practices
• Training
• Mechanical integrity
• Pre-startup review
• Emergency response and control
• Investigation of incidents
• Audits
• Records and documentation

What is SEMS II?

SEMS II, also known as the Workplace Safety Rule, is an enhancement to the original SEMS. SEMS II expands, revises, and adds additional safety requirements not covered in previous regulations including:

• Stop work authority
• Ultimate work authority
• Employee participation plan
• Guidelines for reporting unsafe working conditions
• Additional requirements for conducting a job safety analysis (JSA)
• Elements of American Petroleum Institute’s (API) Recommended Practice 75 (RP 75) are now mandatory

SEMS and SEMS II Awareness Training for Offshore Oilfield Employees

PEC Safety has the most widely used SEMS and SEMS II awareness training program. Working in partnership with Moxie Media, PEC Safety has developed a program in SEMS and SEMS II for contractor personnel who work offshore. This program can to be tracked and verified through PEC Safety’s Training Tracker.

SEMS Awareness Training is Now a Part of SafeGulf!

All new SafeGulf classes offered through PEC-approved instructors now include SEMS Awareness Training.

Awareness Training

SEMS and SEMS II Awareness Training for Offshore Oilfield Employees

SafeGulf now requires new students to receive SEMS training and a number of operators recommend that existing workers and contractor personnel have SEMS training as well. PEC, partnering with Moxie Media, has developed the most popular SEMS and SEMS II awareness program and is offering it as either a DVD with a test or as online training. To date, several thousand workers have gone through this program. Topics covered include:

• The purpose of SEMS
• Events leading to the regulation
• The 13 elements of SEMS
• Requirements for contractors under SEMS
• The importance of knowing the contents of a facility SEMS plan and applying them on the job
• How to speak effectively with regulatory agency personnel about SEMS and the importance of safety
• The new requirements of SEMS II