Okay.
Mr. Chair, and members, thank you for the invitation for the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board, what we call the C-NSOPB, to appear before the Standing Committee on Natural Resources regarding Bill C-5, the offshore health and safety act.
My name is Stuart Pinks and I am the board’s chief executive officer.
The C-NSOPB is the independent joint agency of the governments of Canada and Nova Scotia responsible for the regulation of petroleum activities in the Nova Scotia offshore area. In carrying out its legislative mandate, the health and safety of offshore workers is paramount, and it is with this in mind that the board is pleased to be able to communicate to this committee the board’s support for Bill C-5.
While both the federal and provincial governments acknowledged the need for legislative change, the board took interim steps a number of years ago and developed its own set of occupational health and safety requirements based on a hybrid of best practices from existing provincial and federal legislation and regulations. At the heart of these requirements is an internal responsibility system which, among other aspects, promotes a positive safety culture, the use of best practices, and holds both employers and employees accountable for safety.
Our current health and safety structure ensures that petroleum activities are conducted in a manner in which hazards are properly identified, and the associated risks assessed and then appropriately mitigated and managed. The board’s health and safety team is led by our chief safety officer, Mr. Keith Landra, who alongside me is appointed by and reports directly to the board. Reporting to Mr. Landra are several health, safety, and environment advisers, some of whom are also designated as safety officers under the current legislation. One of these safety officers has been designated as a backup to Mr. Landra in his capacity as chief safety officer, should he be unable to fulfill his role at any given time.
As a former chief safety officer at the board myself, I know first-hand the importance of having in place the appropriate organizational structure to assure that our decision-making process recognizes safety as paramount and environmental protection as a close second. I am pleased to say that our board has in place a governance structure to assure that this is indeed the case, and that to this end they have created a separate board committee responsible for oversight of our health, safety, and environmental, HSE, protection mandate.
This committee consists of board members with extensive offshore oil and gas experience and expertise. It meets regularly with our chief safety officer ahead of all board meetings and also on an as-needed basis. These meetings are designed to give the chief safety officer regular and direct access to the board members in support of his very important role, separate from consideration of other aspects of the board’s mandate.
The HSE committee has a number of functions, which include reviewing decisions taken to assure that decision-making recognizes the paramountcy of health and safety. The committee also supports the chief safety officer in his role and provides advice as and when necessary. Another key benefit of the committee is that it acts as a system of checks and balances to ensure that all the appropriate policies, systems, guidelines, and memoranda of understanding are in place for ensuring regulatory due diligence, and that health and safety efforts are adequately resourced.
While our current occupational health and safety system has served us well, we welcome the changes in part III.1. Board staff has been integrally involved in the legislative drafting process, providing advice on an ongoing basis. We are encouraged to see that this legislation contains the legal framework and authority for a modern occupational health and safety regime in the offshore. We are pleased to see that the compliance and investigation powers of our occupational health and safety, operational safety, and conservation officers have been modernized and made consistent in that legislation.
Another benefit of this legislation surrounds transparency. As a regulator of a high-profile industry, we are frequently challenged with the task of releasing information. These new legislative amendments will ensure that we can disclose information related to occupational health and safety should it be in the public interest.
Last, our board strongly feels that each person has a responsibility for the overall safety of the workplace. Owners, interest holders, operators, employers, supervisors, service providers, and front-line employees each have individual and shared responsibilities. Because this hierarchy is outlined in this bill, our board can make greater strides in directing and enforcing responsibility.
Furthermore, we are pleased to see that this bill legally enshrines employee rights to know, to participate, to refuse dangerous work, and to be protected from reprisal. It is my belief that these changes will help to foster a greater sense of safety culture in Nova Scotia’s offshore.
Moving forward, our board will work with both governments to create memoranda of understanding for the administration and enforcement of part III.1 and part III of the legislation. Our designated officers will be appropriately trained, and we will make the necessary changes to our internal policies and procedures. Our HSE committee has proved to be an important function of the board and will continue to provide governance oversight as we move forward in implementing these amendments. Our staff will also work to inform operators and staff of these changes.
Overall, our board welcomes this legislation and looks forward to seeing its benefits realized.
Thank you again for the opportunity to provide the board’s perspective on this matter.