Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what agency is responsible for the safety of individuals on offshore installations in international waters.

When an offshore rig meets the definition of an installation in The Health and Safety at Work etc.1974 (Application outside Great Britain) Order 2013, the agency responsible for the investigation of missing persons aboard offshore rigs in: UK territorial waters; the UK exclusive economic zone; and the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) is the Health and Safety Executive.

There is no legal definition of “international waters”. HSE is responsible for regulating the safety of individuals on offshore installations on the UKCS. In circumstances where the legislation does not apply to the activity of an offshore installation on the UKCS, then the responsibility lies with the flag state, i.e. with the country under whose laws the installation is registered.