Application of Part II of 1978 Order for offshore purposes
3.—(1) The general purposes of Part II of the 1978 Order shall include—
(a)securing the safety, health and welfare of persons on offshore installations or engaged on pipe-line works;
(b)securing the safety of such installations and preventing accidents on or near them;
(c)securing the proper construction and safe operation of pipe-lines and preventing damage to them; and
(d)securing the safe dismantling, removal and disposal of offshore installations and pipe-lines;
and that Part shall have effect as if the provisions mentioned in paragraph (3) were existing statutory provisions within the meaning of that Part and, in the case of the provisions mentioned in sub-paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of that paragraph, were specified in the third column of Schedule 1 to that Order.
(2) Without prejudice to the generality of paragraph (1) of Article 17 of the 1978 Order (health and safety regulations), regulations under that Article may—
(a)repeal or modify any of the provisions mentioned in paragraph (3); and
(b)make any provision which, but for any such repeal or modification, could be made by regulations or orders made under any provision mentioned in sub-paragraph (a), (b) or (c) of that paragraph.
(3) The provisions referred to in paragraphs (1) and (2) are—
(a)the Mineral Workings (Offshore Installations) Act 1971(1);
(b)sections 26, 27 and 32 (safety, inspectors and regulations) of the Petroleum and Submarine Pipe-lines Act 1975(2);
(c)in the Petroleum Act 1987(3), section 11(2)(a) (regulations) so far as relating to safety requirements and sections 21 to 24 (safety zones); and
(d)the provisions of any regulations or orders made or having effect under any enactment mentioned in sub-paragraphs (a) to (c).
(4) In this Article—
“offshore installation” means any installation which is an offshore installation within the meaning of the Mineral Workings (Offshore Installations) Act 1971, or is to be taken to be an installation for the purposes of sections 21 to 23 of the Petroleum Act 1987;
“pipe-line” and “pipe-line works” have the same meanings as in section 26(1) of the Petroleum and Submarine Pipe-lines Act 1975.
(5) The provisions mentioned in paragraph (3) and the definitions in paragraph (4) shall have effect as if in—
(a)section 1(4) of the Mineral Workings (Offshore Installations) Act 1971;
(b)section 20(2) of the Petroleum and Submarine Pipe-lines Act 1975; or
(c)section 16(1) or 21(7) of the Petroleum Act 1987,
any reference—
(i)to tidal waters and parts of the sea in or adjacent to the United Kingdom, or to the territorial sea adjacent to the United Kingdom, were a reference to tidal waters and parts of the sea in or adjacent to Northern Ireland, or to the territorial sea adjacent to Northern Ireland;
(ii)to waters in any area designated under section 1(7) of the Continental Shelf Act 1964(4) were omitted; and
(iii)to the sea in any designated area within the meaning of that Act were omitted.