NIC Welcomes OSHA To The Gulf – But Do Mariners? John Konrad Total Views: 59 June 11, 2010 In the testimony of Steven Tink, BP head of Health, Safety and the Environment, gCaptain was critical of his wide knowledge of OSHA regulations, regualtions that currently do not apply to vessels offshore, compared to his lack of knowledge on maritime and major emergency management topics. gCaptain wrote: A direct line of management, regardless of competency of bosses in marine operations, is better than BP’s structure of responsibility and authority in which Mr. Tink, HS&E leader for BP operations in the Gulf, was unable to clearly define during his testimony. In answering questions it was clear Mr. Tink had no knowledge of marine or general emergency management but rather was an expert in “Occupational Health”. Mr. Tink mentioned OSHA regulations, which don’t apply offshore, but did not display knowledge of ISM, ISPS or the myriad of other codes that do apply to vessels. gCaptain is confident of BP’s in-house experience as an owner and operator of tankers and other marine vessels but these people did not testify and it is unclear who is responsible AND COMPETENT in planning and monitoring marine emergencies. Mr. Tink described spreadsheets, diagrams and advance computers that crunch injury data but made no mention of a program that records ABS deficiencies, USCG comments, BP Marine Audit reports, Marine incidents and other clues to problems in these areas. With concerns for hand safety trumping that of larger risks like fires, explosions and sinking… we question at what level OSHA’s regulations should be considered in the operation of deepwater vessels. But ultimately the choice is not ours. In a press release today the USCG tells us: WASHINGTON — The U.S. Coast Guard Federal on Scene Coordinator for the BP Deepwater Horizon response and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced Thursday the signing of a memorandum of understa