Drilling Safety Rule

ABSTRACT Offshore marine operations are conducted in all climatic zones, including stormy and polar areas. All units engaged in such operations require continuous supply of fuel, construction, drilling equipment and provision. Supply operations must he carried out even in very difficult conditions hut safety of personnel and environment is given the highest priority. It can he only achieved hy setting appropriate safety rules. 

Kevin McGill Noaki Schwartz, Oil Drilling Accidents Prompting New Safety Rules, Mobile Register, April 24, 2010, at A2. 

When a well is making (formation) gas, the rig crews must be constantly alert to safety and proper safety procedures, and rules must be followed. Nearly all drilling companies strictly forbid any smoking material, lighters or matches to be taken into the areas where air (or gas) is being used to drill a well for hydrocarbons [75]. 

Off-site storage. In order to be operational at the off-site process center for critical applications, the files that need to be updated to the off-site center are master files for all completed projects, daily back-ups for ongoing studies, monthly system files, monthly glossary updates, monthly safety monitoring, NDA files and production job streams. The protocols, CRFs, regulatory documents, rules and manuals should also be stored off-site. A drill of the disaster recovery plan should be put to test at least every 6 months to reveal any unanticipated problem. 

First and basically, it establishes requirements that potentially have a direct effect on the risk level. In this category one finds, for example, rnles on how blowout preventers for exploratory drilling should be constructed, and which qualifications welders should hold. These may be labelled requirements as to the state of matters. But the direct safety regulations also include requirements regarding actions or occurrences. Most important in this latter category are rules on procedures for operations, for example, rules on how to weld certain critical elements of a structure or how to run risk analyses on the structure. The use of both methods, requiring the qualified welder to weld in the specified way, is likely to improve the level of safety. If direct safety requirements are not complied with, the risk for accidents is likely to increase. 

Hopkins (2010) has highlighted the interrelationship between risk assessment and rule compliance. He points out that rules are often based on risk assessments and that, as far as possible, risk assessments should be formulated into rules to assist end point decision makers such as those involved in operational drilling activities. He highlights other accidents where the temptation to risk assess one s way out of specific safety requirements has contributed to accidents, as appears to have been the case with Montara. 

The full title of this standard is Analysis, Design, Installation and Testing of Basic Surface Safety Systems on Offshore Production Platforms. It specifies the requirements for the analysis, design, installation, and testing of surface safety systems for offshore production platforms (not drilling or exploration facilities). Although it is a Recommended Practice, RP 14C had been incorporated as a legal requirement by the MMS prior to the publication of the SEMS rule. 

In addition to running drills, there are rules and policies that must be shared each year regarding safety and security. Within many edncational systems, policies exist regarding drug-free and weapon-free zones and strict Internet policies for... 

SodM clearly concentrated its activities upto the 1990s under E and F of table 1. E was carried out either alone, or in collaboration with other ministries or other parties in standards committees. The operating companies were consulted about the detailed rules made by SodM, but the inspectorate had the final say. In terms of time of inspection staff, F dominated the activities. There was some activity under A and B, but it was usually rapidly translated into agreed rules under E to achieve A, and detailed inspections of these rules (F), with B acting as a safety net. An example of an attempt to confine actions to A and B was the establishment of a standard for oil concentrations in water (40ppm) dumped overboard from platforms into the North Sea from drilling and production activities. Companies were left to decide for themselves how to achieve this and no detailed rules were made. This was, however, an exception at the time. 

Water supply is the safest bulk supply operation but it must comply with certain hygienic standards. Potable water tanks must be solely used for this purpose, maiataiaed under vessel s planned maintenance plan and audited under International Safety Management (ISM). Pumps and pipework should be flushed with super chlorinated water and than with fresh potable water prior refilling tanks. Hoses used for water transfer should be dedicated for this purpose and cleaned with chlorinated water on weekly basis. Each year hose need to be replaced. Water in potable water tanks of PSV typically may be stored for 7 da3 . After this time water is transferred to drill water tanks. Specific rules regarding water quality management usually are given in national regulations. 

Steven Mufson, Experts, Rivals Blast BP s Praetiees, WP, November 10, 2010, at A4 (culture quote) Ian Urbina, Workers on Doomed Rig Voiced Concern on Safety, NYT, July 21, 2010, at Ai (drilling priorities quote) Sarah Lyall, In BP s Record, A History of Boldness and Costly Blunders, NYT, July 13, 2010, at Ai (chronically unable quote, equipment assessment) Abraham Lustgarten Ryan Knutson, Reports at BP Over the Years Find History of Problems, WP, June 8, 2010, at Ai Barry Meier, Gulf Rig Owner is Known for Testing the Rules, NYT, July 9, 2010, at A2 Clifford Krauss Tom Zeller, Jr., A Behind-the-Seenes Firm is Caught in the Spotlight, NYT, May 24, 2010, at Bi (push envelope quote). 

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