Safety & Environmental Management Program (SEMP)

Why SEMP?

The safety and pollution record for the offshore industry is good. But accidents and pollution continue to occur offshore. So there is still room for improvement. And this improvement calls for more than compliance with existing regulatory requirements.

Research indicates that up to 80 percent of industrial accidents are caused by human error or poor organization. The SEMP specifically addresses these problems, and it can make OCS operations even cleaner and safer. So SEMP makes good sense from a public policy perspective, and it should make good sense from a business perspective.

The SEMP is also consistent with the four BOEMRE objectives for regulating OCS operations:

	Eliminate unsafe behavior;
	Establish more flexible, performance-based regulations;
	Promote continuous improvement in safety & pollution-prevention; and
	Foster responsible industry-government partnerships.