Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate issued restrictions concerning the presence in the Directorate’s offices for persons who have been in areas with prolonged spread of coronavirus, while the the Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA), said on Thursday that it was prioritizing the maintenance of its supervisory activities as far as possible given the spread of the coronavirus.
Accordingly, the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate states that any person that has been to an area with a COVID-19 case, they should not take part in the meetings conducted in the Directorate.
Moreover, NPD notes that if one is scheduled to visit or have a meeting in the NPD’s offices, they should not shake hands.
They also advise people to be vigilant with personal hygiene while they are in their offices, following the tips below:
- Be thorough when washing your hands, and/or use hand sanitizer/disinfectant.
- If you cough, you must do so in a paper tissue that is then discarded, or cough into your elbow.
- Maintain a good distance from others, both in meeting rooms and in general.
In addition, PSA Norway commented that responsibility for conducting activities on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS) and at the land-based plants prudently and in line with the regulatory requirements rests with the companies.
Concerning the audits, PSA states that their program will continue but with changes. This means that these processes will focus their attention to safety-critical parts of the industry – including company preparedness for dealing with undesirable incidents.
At the same time, the PSA is cancelling all its physical meetings with external personnel until further notice and will make maximum use of video meetings, Skype and telephone calls in its contacts with the industry.
See also: