Offshore Safety Act 1992

1 Application of Part I of 1974 Act for offshore purposes

(1) The general purposes of Part I of the [1974 c. 37.] Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (“the 1974 Act”) 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 subsection (3) below were existing statutory provisions within the meaning of that Part and, in the case of the enactments there mentioned, were specified in the third column of Schedule 1 to that Act.

(2) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1) of section 15 of the 1974 Act (health and safety regulations), regulations under that section may—

(a) repeal or modify any of the provisions mentioned in subsection (3) below; and

(b) make any provision which, but for any such repeal or modification, could be made by regulations or orders made under any enactment there mentioned.

(3) The provisions referred to in subsections (1) and (2) above are—

(a) the [1971 c. 61.] Mineral Workings (Offshore Installations) Act 1971;

(b) sections 26, 27 and 32 (safety, inspectors and regulations) of the [1975 c. 74.] Petroleum and Submarine Pipe-lines Act 1975;

(c) in the [1987 c. 12.] Petroleum Act 1987, 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 the foregoing paragraphs.

(4) In this section—

• “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 subsection (3) above and the definitions in subsection (4) above shall have effect as if any reference 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,

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 Great Britain, or to the territorial sea adjacent to Great Britain.