Federal offshore drilling regulators today formally recommended that drillers should heed the mistakes federal investigators found when investigating the April 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion.

The newly created Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) today issued a "safety alert" to leaseholders and contractors working in the Gulf of Mexico.

The alert summarizes the findings of the investigation by the Coast Guard and the Interior Department and makes recommendations the drillers can incorporate into their work.

"We must ensure that the lessons learned from the investigation of the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill are widely disseminated and used to enhance the safety practices used by offshore oil and gas operators and contractors in their day-to-day activities," said BSEE Director Michael Bromwich.

"Issuing this Safety Alert to all oil and gas leaseholders and contractors is another method for BSEE to ensure that offshore operations are conducted in the most safe and environmentally-responsible manner."

The explosion led to an oil spill from BP PLC's Macondo well that lasted for months before it could be capped.

Interior's offshore drilling regulators use safety alerts to inform the offshore drilling industry about the circumstances surrounding an incident or a near miss, and usually offer recommendations on how to avoid a repeat occurrence.

The department's recommendations cover operational issues such as negative pressure testing procedures, location of equipment on the rig, and the configuration and alignment of blowout preventer stacks.

Click here to see the alert.