eCFR for 1014-0008, 30 CFR 250, Subpart O

Subpart O—Well Control and Production Safety Training
§250.1500 Definitions.
Terms used in this subpart have the following meaning:
Contractor and contract personnel mean anyone, other than an employee of the lessee,
performing well control, deepwater well control, or production safety duties for the lessee.
Deepwater well control means well control when you are using a subsea BOP system.
Employee means direct employees of the lessees who are assigned well control, deepwater
well control, or production safety duties.
I or you means the lessee engaged in oil, gas, or sulphur operations in the Outer
Continental Shelf (OCS).
Lessee means a person who has entered into a lease with the United States to explore for,
develop, and produce the leased minerals. The term lessee also includes an owner of operating
rights for that lease and the BOEM-approved assignee of that lease.
Periodic means occurring or recurring at regular intervals. Each lessee must specify the
intervals for periodic training and periodic assessment of training needs in their training
programs.
Production operations include, but are not limited to, separation, dehydration,
compression, sweetening, and metering operations.
Production safety includes measures, practices, procedures, and equipment to ensure safe,
accident-free, and pollution-free production operations, as well as installation, repair, testing,
maintenance, and operation of surface and subsurface safety equipment.
Well completion/well workover means those operations following the drilling of a well that
are intended to establish or restore production.
Well-control means methods used to minimize the potential for the well to flow or kick and
to maintain control of the well in the event of flow or a kick. Well-control applies to drilling, wellcompletion, well-workover, abandonment, and well-servicing operations. It includes measures,
practices, procedures and equipment, such as fluid flow monitoring, to ensure safe and
environmentally protective drilling, completion, abandonment, and workover operations as well
as the installation, repair, maintenance, and operation of surface and subsea well-control
equipment.
[76 FR 64462, Oct. 18, 2011, as amended at 77 FR 50896, Aug. 22, 2012]

§250.1501 What is the goal of my training program?
The goal of your training program must be safe and clean OCS operations. To accomplish
this, you must ensure that your employees and contract personnel engaged in well control,
deepwater well control, or production safety operations understand and can properly perform
their duties.
§250.1503 What are my general responsibilities for training?
(a) You must establish and implement a training program so that all of your employees are
trained to competently perform their assigned well control, deepwater well control, and
production safety duties. You must verify that your employees understand and can perform the
assigned well control, deepwater well control, or production safety duties.
(b) If you conduct operations with a subsea BOP stack, your employees and contract
personnel must be trained in deepwater well control. The trained employees and contract
personnel must have a comprehensive knowledge of deepwater well control equipment,
practices, and theory.
(c) You must have a training plan that specifies the type, method(s), length, frequency, and
content of the training for your employees. Your training plan must specify the method(s) of
verifying employee understanding and performance. This plan must include at least the
following information:
(1) Procedures for training employees in well control, deepwater well control, or
production safety practices;
(2) Procedures for evaluating the training programs of your contractors;
(3) Procedures for verifying that all employees and contractor personnel engaged in well
control, deepwater well control, or production safety operations can perform their assigned
duties;
(4) Procedures for assessing the training needs of your employees on a periodic basis;
(5) Recordkeeping and documentation procedures; and
(6) Internal audit procedures.
(d) Upon request of the District Manager or Regional Supervisor, you must provide:
(1) Copies of training documentation for personnel involved in well control, deepwater well
control, or production safety operations during the past 5 years; and
(2) A copy of your training plan.

§250.1504 May I use alternative training methods?
You may use alternative training methods. These methods may include computer-based
learning, films, or their equivalents. This training should be reinforced by appropriate
demonstrations and “hands-on” training. Alternative training methods must be conducted
according to, and meet the objectives of, your training plan.
§250.1505 Where may I get training for my employees?
You may get training from any source that meets the requirements of your training plan.
§250.1506 How often must I train my employees?
You determine the frequency of the training you provide your employees. You must do all
of the following:
(a) Provide periodic training to ensure that employees maintain understanding of, and
competency in, well control, deepwater well control, or production safety practices;
(b) Establish procedures to verify adequate retention of the knowledge and skills that
employees need to perform their assigned well control, deepwater well control, or production
safety duties; and
(c) Ensure that your contractors' training programs provide for periodic training and
verification of well control, deepwater well control, or production safety knowledge and skills.
§250.1507 How will BSEE measure training results?
BSEE may periodically assess your training program, using one or more of the methods in
this section.
(a) Training system audit. BSEE or its authorized representative may conduct a training
system audit at your office. The training system audit will compare your training program
against this subpart. You must be prepared to explain your overall training program and
produce evidence to support your explanation.
(b) Employee or contract personnel interviews. BSEE or its authorized representative may
conduct interviews at either onshore or offshore locations to inquire about the types of training
that were provided, when and where this training was conducted, and how effective the
training was.
(c) Employee or contract personnel testing. BSEE or its authorized representative may
conduct testing at either onshore or offshore locations for the purpose of evaluating an
individual's knowledge and skills in perfecting well control, deepwater well control, and
production safety duties.

(d) Hands-on production safety, simulator, or live well testing. BSEE or its authorized
representative may conduct tests at either onshore or offshore locations. Tests will be designed
to evaluate the competency of your employees or contract personnel in performing their
assigned well control, deepwater well control, and production safety duties. You are
responsible for the costs associated with this testing, excluding salary and travel costs for BSEE
personnel.
§250.1508 What must I do when BSEE administers written or oral tests?
BSEE or its authorized representative may test your employees or contract personnel at
your worksite or at an onshore location. You and your contractors must:
(a) Allow BSEE or its authorized representative to administer written or oral tests; and
(b) Identify personnel by current position, years of experience in present position, years of
total oil field experience, and employer's name (e.g., operator, contractor, or sub-contractor
company name).
§250.1509 What must I do when BSEE administers or requires hands-on, simulator, or
other types of testing?
If BSEE or its authorized representative conducts, or requires you or your contractor to
conduct hands-on, simulator, or other types of testing, you must:
(a) Allow BSEE or its authorized representative to administer or witness the testing;
(b) Identify personnel by current position, years of experience in present position, years of
total oil field experience, and employer's name (e.g., operator, contractor, or sub-contractor
company name); and
(c) Pay for all costs associated with the testing, excluding salary and travel costs for BSEE
personnel.
§250.1510 What will BSEE do if my training program does not comply with this subpart?
If BSEE determines that your training program is not in compliance, we may initiate one or
more of the following enforcement actions:
(a) Issue an Incident of Noncompliance (INC);
(b) Require you to revise and submit to BSEE your training plan to address identified
deficiencies;
(c) Assess civil/criminal penalties; or

(d) Initiate disqualification procedures.