New approaches to safety regulation for offshore oil and gas exploration and production in the UK and Norway

Abstract

This paper analyses how safety regulation evolved in the UK and Norway from prescriptive regulations to goal-setting regulations in order to manage the risks associated with offshore oil and gas operations. Major accidents in the industry led to reshaping regulatory approaches to rule making, supervising and enforcing safety regulations providing interesting case studies of how law adapts to technological challenges. The allocation of responsibilities between different roles of the regulatory authority, the oil and gas companies and the workforce are important aspects of these new approaches.