(a) Your SEMS program must be audited by an accredited ASP according to the requirements of this subpart and API RP 75, Section 12 (incorporated by reference as specified in Sec. 250.198). The audit process must also meet or exceed the criteria in Sections 9.1 through 9.8 of Requirements for Third-party SEMS Auditing and Certification of Deepwater Operations COS-2-03 (incorporated by reference as specified in Sec. 250.198) or its equivalent. Additionally, the audit team lead must be an employee, representative, or agent of the ASP, and must not have any affiliation with the operator. The remaining team members may be chosen from your personnel and those of the ASP. The audit must be comprehensive and include all elements of your SEMS program. It must also identify safety and environmental performance deficiencies.
(b) Your audit plan and procedures must meet or exceed all of the recommendations included in API RP 75 section 12 (as specified in Sec. 250.198) and include information on how you addressed those recommendations. You must specifically address the following items:
(1) Section 12.1 General.
(2) Section 12.2 Scope.
(3) Section 12.3 Audit Coverage.
(4) Section 12.4 Audit Plan. You must submit your written Audit Plan to BSEE at least 30 days before the audit. BSEE reserves the right to modify the list of facilities that you propose to audit.
(5) Section 12.5 Audit Frequency, except your audit interval, must not exceed 3 years after the 2-year time period for the first audit. The 3-year auditing cycle begins on the start date of each comprehensive audit (including the initial implementation audit) and ends on the start date of your next comprehensive audit.
(6) Section 12.6 Audit Team. Your audits must be performed by an ASP as described in Sec. 250.1921. You must include the ASP's qualifications in your audit plan.
(c) You must submit an audit report of the audit findings, observations, deficiencies identified, and conclusions to BSEE within 60 days of the audit completion date.
(d) You must provide BSEE with a copy of your CAP for addressing the deficiencies identified in your audit within 60 days of the audit completion date. Your CAP must include the name and job title of the personnel responsible for correcting the identified deficiency(ies). The BSEE will notify you as soon as practicable after receipt of your CAP if your proposed schedule is not acceptable or if the CAP does not effectively address the audit findings. [76 FR 64462, Oct. 18, 2011, as amended at 78 FR 20442, Apr. 5, 2013]