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<p>The Offshore Petroleum Industry Training Organisation (OPITO) is the organisation
that provides the standard for initial Elected Safety Representative (ESR) training.
It is the Duty Holders who are responsible for ensuring ESRs are suitably trained
and that the cost is not borne by them.</p><p> </p><p>The OPITO Offshore Safety Representative
Training Standard was reviewed by OPITO, HSE, International Association of Drilling
Contractors (IADC), and the Step Change in Safety Workforce Engagement Support Team
(WEST) during 2016/2017. A revised standard has been in use since 5 June 2017 and
includes 34learning outcomes.</p><p> </p><p>There are also OPITO development training
modules for ESRs which were developed in conjunction with the Offshore Industry Advisory
Committee’s “Workforce Involvement Group” during 2012. The modules are:</p><p> </p><ol><li>Understanding
and Identifying Major Accident Hazards.</li><li>Understanding Risk Analysis to get
Involved in Preparing and Revising the Safety Case.</li><li>Investigate Incidents
and Apply Root Case Analysis.</li><li>Conduct Independent Inspections and Audits and
Effectively Present Findings.</li></ol><p><strong> </strong></p><p>HSE has conducted
26 offshore inspections on Workforce Engagement in the last two and a half years,
which includes compliance with the Safety Representatives and Safety Committee Regulations
1989 (“SI971”); the need for ESRs to be provided with the time, training and facilities
to fulfil their functions under these Regulations; and involvement with the work force
they represent. and how matters are addressed by the Safety Committee. This also covered
the mandatory consultation in the 2015 Safety Case regulations.</p><p> </p><p>HSE’s
workforce engagement policies identified the need for ESRs to be provided with more
suitable training so that they could more effectively engage with managing major accident
hazards. This resulted in the development of the four OPITO training modules mentioned
above. Since the increased uptake of the additional training, and the development
of comparable training by individual duty holders, HSE inspectors are finding that
ESRs now have a better understanding of major accident hazard management. This means
that ESRs are better placed to discharge their safety functions.</p><p> </p><p>HSE
inspectors always meet with ESRs as the first part of their offshore inspection. The
inspectors discuss and sense check their inspection agendas with ESRs. Very often
ESRs will identify issues that the HSE inspectors had not planned to inspect. These
inputs are invariably very useful to HSE and often make a major difference to the
impact of the inspections. HSE also finds that duty holder leaders greatly value the
safety insights provided to them by their ESRs.</p>
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