Meet your worksite compliance duties for mining support

A. Offshore petroleum support — safety-case and well-construction duties

A support contractor providing services on an offshore installation — drilling, well services, well intervention — has duties under the offshore safety-case regime. The accepted safety case is prepared by the installation operator or owner (the defined "duty holder" under the regulations), but the contractor must cooperate with the duty holder, contribute well-notification and well-examination information for well operations, and work within the safety management system. The competent authority is HSE acting jointly with the Secretary of State; offshore environmental functions sit with the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning (OPRED). Onshore support work does not engage this regime.

The well operator (appointed by the licensee to organise and supervise the well operation) holds the primary design, construction, maintenance and independent well-examination duties under the Offshore Installations and Wells (Design and Construction, etc.) Regulations 1996. The drilling contractor works within the well operator's arrangements.

B. Mining support — Mines Regulations 2014

A contractor carrying out support work at a mine — shaft sinking, ground support, pumping and draining, ventilation work, exploratory drilling underground — must comply with the Mines Regulations 2014 at the worksite. The mine operator holds the overall duties; you must work within them and comply with the escape and rescue, ventilation, fire, explosives and ground-control provisions. HSE is the enforcing authority. The Mines Regulations 2014 apply in Great Britain; Northern Ireland has separate mining safety provisions.

C. Quarry support — Quarries Regulations 1999

A contractor providing support services at a quarry — drilling and blasting, overburden removal, tip and excavation works, plant maintenance — must comply with the Quarries Regulations 1999. The quarry operator holds the principal duties; you cooperate with the operator's safety management and comply with the geotechnical-assessment, excavations-and-tips, vehicles-and-traffic, shotfiring and health-and-safety-document provisions. HSE is the enforcing authority. The Quarries Regulations 1999 apply in Great Britain; Northern Ireland has separate quarry safety provisions.

What to do next

With the worksite duties in place and the workplace spine operating, confirm the whole picture with the mining support service compliance checklist. Start from the router if you are not sure which guides apply to you.