References

Introduction and objectives

Resume
Topic 1 Personal safety hazards

Topic 2 Site practices and procedures

Topic 3 The causes of incidents

Topic 4 The HSE Management System

Topic 5 The HSE Case

Topic 6 Hazards and Effects Management Process

Topic 7 Personal HSE responsibilities

Topic 8 Health and the environment

1 Health
2 The environment
Topic 9 Sustainable development

Appendix 1 : The Group HSE commitment and policy

Appendix 2 : HSE documentation

Appendix 3 : Definitions

Appendix 4 : Minimum health management standards

Appendix 5 : Responsibility for an accident

Questions

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I
References
I
The EP 95-0000 series of HSE manual listed in detail in Appendix 2
Wells Global Network
- EP HSE and OU HSE pages
EP start page (http://swwep.shell.corn/httpsupport/startpage)
available from here.
Step change in safety website - http://step.steel-sci.org
This website also includes SADIE - Safety Alert Database and Information Exchange
Shell Sustainable Development Portal at http://sww-sd.shell.com/

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 Introd
I
Safety is no accident !
This sentence, taken from the body of this Part, expresses in four words what the Part is
about. I t reminds us all that avoiding accidents (and incidents - see the list of definitions)
does not happen by chance. As much attention has to be paid to the safety standards of any
activity as is paid to the technical standards and to the eficiency achieved. And that applies
not only to the skilled worker using heavy machinery, but to the entire company from the
most junior labourer or ofice worker up the the General Manager (or equivalent). What is
more, although rhe most publicity is given to accidents that cause injuries to personnel, the
same attention has to be given to conditions that have their effect over a longer terms - i.e.
occupational health - and those that cause a degrading of the environment.
This Part gives a brief summary of the tools and techniques as they are applied to effectively
manage Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) in ;a drilling or well services operation. It is an
abstract of contents of many documents as they exist in the Group as well as on a Regional
(Operating Unit) level. These documents can be accessed through the various "Shell
Worldwide Web" sites. From the "EP start page" you can access the Shell Group HSE web-
sites or the individual HSE websices of the various Operating Units / Regions. These websites,
such as the PDQ (Oman) website, contain a wealth of information regarding all aspects of
HSE.
For the purpose of this Part an attempt is made to facilitate the understanding of the discus-
sion topics by referring to documents, processes, and situations as they occur in the real world.
But first you should know something about personal accountability.
More and more organisations are beginning to realise that personal accountability, together
with personal attitude and behaviour are 'critical success factors' for successful implementation
of HSE management systems. You can have all the documents in the world, and the best
pieces of equipment, but for everything to go well we will still depend on people using the
equipment and the procedures in the right way. Together with the Hearts and MindsTM pro-
gramme, and the goal of sustainable development, both described later, Shell is now also
introducing accountability for HSE. Assets (operating units) around the world will be imple-
menting processes which will make personal accountability for HSE a key condition for con-
tinued employment.
After studying this Part, consulting other relevant documents and, if necessary, discussions
with your mentor, you will be able to:
explain the terms used for reporting safety and occupational health statistics
* explain the principal measurement used within Shell for reporting safety performance
list the main types of hazard on a well location, with examples
* give examples of the safety procedures which are used on a well location
name the types of job for which a permit to work is required, and give examples
describe the TRIPOD theory of accident causation and explain the terms used
summarise in your own words the HSE policy of the Shell Group

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 describe the stages in the formation of an HSE Management System
make a graphic representation of the structure of a generalised management system which
can be applied to safety management
specify the objective of safety management
explain why effective safety management benefits a company.
explain the part played by safety professionals in the management of safety
explain the part played by line staff in the management of safety
explain the HEMP process and why it is used
Outline the structure of a HSE case and describe the contents of each part.
explain how pro-active safety performance can be monitored, as opposed to counting inci-
dents.
describe the three different types of health issue on a well location
explain the use and limitations of Occupational Exposure Limits
list the main possible effects on the environment of land andlor offshore well operations.
explain how the civil engineer can minimise the effect of operations on the environment
during the preparation phase of a well operation.
Summarise briefly the formal documentation relating to the HSE activities of an OU.
explain the concept of sustainable development and give examples of how this concept
may be applied.

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This Part deals with the subjects of Health, Safety and the Environment. The Topics con-
tained herein:
Give an explanation of the terms used in HSE management
Provide the trainee with the practical safety related knawldge that he will require during
his first experience on a well operations location and an awareness of HSE matters suffi-
cient for his first working assignment.
Explain the background to HSE Management
Give an introduction to the other components of HSE, that is Health and the
Environment, with a very brief idea of the practical issues involved.
Additionally a topic specifically covering an introducrion to the concept of Sustainable
Development is included.

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 hazards I
INTRODUCTION
This Topic lists some of the common hazards which you should watch out for. It has deliber-
ately been made short enough to read in a few minutes before your first visit to a field loca-
tion, and includes life-threatening hazards as well as those smaller hazards with potentially
less impact, but which still could result in a significant injury. Understanding the hazards
will help to avoid getting involved in any incidents while getting accustomed to field opera-
tions. It will also allow you to recognise any potentially hazardous situations and take preven-
tive action by drawing them to the atrention of the Supervisors or crew members.
In principle the crew, and especially the Supervisor, should warn if they see you putting your-
self at risk, but they may not be in time to do so if you make a sudden movement at the
wrong time. Nor can they always be watching. The crew may also be so accustomed to their
daily routine that they do not realise that a newcomer may not know what is about to happen.
--- - - -- -
It is not the intention here to frighten 10 - -TllC? EP
- TRCF
-- IhiBng
'
I
you into thinking that working on a ' 7.29
well location is a dangerous activity. It *6.2 6.1. 5,6
is not. It is much less dangerous than g :!
33
2.85 2.6 2.5 2.6 2,2
4.9

many other activities in which we all

IL m z l
2-

freely take part such as driving, sports, 0 '

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004tg1
and working at home. To put the risks
Figure 1.1.1 :TRCF safety statistics
into perspective: the 2003 Lost Time
Injury frequency (LTIF) in the drilling
industry as measured by the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers (OGP) is 1.16
per million man-hours, against a Shell well engineering LTIF performance in 2003 of 0.7
Figutre 1.1.1shows the Total Recordable Case Frequency for EP as a whole and for drilling
operations over the last few years. (See Appendix 3 for the definition of these terms).
Assuming that the length of a working career is thirty years, of which 25% is spent at work,
it means that going by the 2003 LTIF rates only one person in 45 would lose one working day
or more due to an injury at work during his entire career working for Shell in the Wells
Engineering discipline. Bearing in mind that a cut finger or a sprained ankle could result in
losing a day that is not a rate to be ashamed of; even so, Shell is striving to improve it further.
However, as a junior engineer it is good to bear in mind that incident frequency distributions
are skewed towards young and less experienced personnel.

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1 ON THE RIG FLOOR
Stabbing tubulars
You will probably not be asked to assist running tubulars into the hole, but, if you should
find yourself acting as a floorman, remember that a golden rule is never to put a hand on the
pipe which is already in the hole. The driller may lower the additional pipe when you don't
expect it.
In earlier generations roughnecks were very well paid but were not given so much safety train-
ing. Most of them finished up with more gold rings than they had fingers left to put them on.
Setting back tubulars
Similarly you may find yourself helping to stack tubulars by pushing a stand across the rig
floor while it is hanging from the hook in the derrick. As the pipe moves away from you don't
take such long steps that your foot gets underneath it.
Remember that suspended loads have a habit of dropping, sometimes without warning. This
is one of the most common themes that run through safety awareness training.
Core recovery
Coring is always interesting and you may be impatient to see whether a good core has been
recovered. Do not be tempted to put your fingers into the bottom end of the core barrel
while it is hanging an inch above the floor.
Not only is the core barrel itself a suspended load, but the core inside it may be supported
only by friction and may slide out at the wrong moment and land on your fingers.
Trip hazards
The derrick floor (or
any other working
area) should be
clean and tidy but
occasionally it may
become cluttered up
with equipment and
tools. Watch where
you walk - if you
trip there are not
too many things on
a rig floor which
you can safely get
hold of to steady I
yourself. . I
T r i p on stairs can 1 Figure 1.1.2 :Common hazards
be hazardous. Always hold the railing with at least one hand while using the stairs. It follows
that anything too heavy or too bulky to be carried in one hand should be moved between dif-
ferent levels by winch.
Rotary table
It may seem obvious, but the rotary table can rotate and is therefore a special trip hazard. If
you walk across the derrick floor, walk round the rotary table, even if it is apparently not
moving as you approach it.

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Wire rope to back-up tongs
When the drilling crew are running pipe in or out of the hole they tighten or loosen the con-
nections by means of tongs which are operated by pairs of wire ropes. One wire goes to the
draw-works and does the pulling, the other goes from the so-called back-up tongs to a fixed
point on the rig floor to stop the other half of the connection turning. When the driller
tightens the pulling cable, the back-up tong will suddenly rotate a quarter of a turn round the
pipe and the wire line which was lying loose will snap tight. Anyone standing too close to
this cable could then be seriously hurt.
If you go on the rig floor during a trip, or while running casing, approach it from the drillers
side and stand behind him until you are sure you know how everything there is moving.
Well fluid sprays
When a string of tubulars is being pulled out, the tongs are not the only hazard. Remember
that there may be a column of well fluid almost thirty metres high inside the pipe. As the
connection is unscrewed this liquid (commonly with a p H of 10 or 11) may spurt out into the
eyes of the unwary spectator. Safety glasses should always be worn on the rig floor, and are
usually part of the mandatory PPE to be worn on site. These sprays may also make the drill-
floor extremely slippery, especially if oil based or synthetic fluids are being used.
Tubulars being lifted through the V-door
When drilling, running casing or running production tubing, single joints of pipe will be
lifted from the pipe racks, through the V-door, and into the derrick. If the driller lifts one
just a little too quickly the end will come up the ramp, over the edge of the floor, and the
whole pipe will swing violently across the floor. Don't put yourself into a position where it
could hit you.
Wire line being run into hole
From time to time tools are run into the hole on wire line. If a tool is being run quickly and
meets a resistance of some sort in the hole, the winch operator may not be able to stop quickly
enough. In that case the wire will continue spooling off the drum and fall onto the derrick
floor in loops. When the tool in the hole then falls free an instant later the loose wire will be
dragged very quickly into the hole and the loops will snap tight with enough force to sever a
limb. Keep a safe distance away during this operation and ensure barriers are in place so peo-
ple are not exposed to the "unsafe" area (line can snap unexpectedly).
Pressures
Hoses and pipe connections occasionally fail either during pressure testing, or pumping opera-
tions such as cementing or formation stimulation operations.
The result of a small high pressure leak may be a fine jet of high pressure liquid, which can
cut and penetrate soft material.
If a pressurised hose or pipe fails during a operation the broken connection could flail around
until the pump operator has had time to react. The violence of with which this happens will
be directly proportional to the pressure. You will notice that during a high pressure operation,
the lines and hoses will be chained either to a fixed part of the rig structure or are intercon-
nected by a safety line. This is to restrain movement in case of a failure, but it is not always
100% effective.
Avoid these hazards by keeping your distance from high pressure lines, especially while
pumping or pressure testing.

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2 O N AND ROUND THE PIPE RACKS
Standing on tubulars
One of the jobs that may be given to you is to measure pipe while it is laid out on the pipe
racks. Before you walk on it, which you will have to do, make sure that the joints are tightly
packed and that the first and last are firmly wedged in place, so that they do not roll as you
step on them.
Be aware that this is working at height on an uneven slippery surface and hence requires con-
centration.
Singles being laid down
The hazard associated with lifting single joints into the derrick has been mentioned. The
opposite operation - laying down pipe - involves allowing a joint of pipe to slide freely down
the ramp and along the catwalk, restrained by the winch line. Occasionally a joint will jump
over the barrier at the end of the ramp, or slide down the ramp off-centre and go sideways off
the catwalk. Don't put yourself into a position where one of these stray joints could hit you.

3 AROUND THE WELL FLUID TANKS

The low pressure well fluid system has its own share of hazards for the inexperienced worker.
Drilling fluid has, by design, lubricating qualities. Any minor spills, drips, etc., or spray
being blown by a strong wind, may cause stairs and walkways to become slippery. This is
especially the case near the drilling fluid mixing area where the wind may pick up powder as
sacks are emptied into the mixing hopper.
Dust around the mixing area is also unpleasant for the eyes, but this is an obvious hazard.
Drilling fluid products in general are fairly innocuous - they have been designed to be envi-
ronmentally friendly - but cement dust is not. If sacks of cement are being cut open and
emptied, either into the bulk tanks or while mixing cement slurry, the dust which may be
blown around has a high p H and is bad for the eyes and lungs.
Caustic soda is one of the nasty chemicals , which is delivered as beads or crystals in metal
drums. These solids will go through leather gloves and leather boots in no time ! Under no
circumstances should half empty drums be cleaned out with water: it will cause an explosion
spraying the chemical around the area where you might working.
Caustic soda is used because many drilling fluid systems require a high p H of 10 or 11. Even
though it may not cause immediate caustic burns a high p H liquid is still bad for the skin.
Don't put your hands into the drilling fluid; if you are splashed, wash it off; and if your
clothes become wet with drilling fluid, change them.
There will be eye-wash stations at various locations on the drilling/well servicing unit but
specifically in the vicinity of the well fluid mixing area. It is a good idea to try it to see how it
works while you can still see clearly what you are doing, but check with someone in authority
first as some systems are designed for one time use only.

4 IN THE CELLAR
It is very rarely that a well is drilled without any gas indications at all; thus there is always
the possibility of gas coming out of solution from the well fluid. Most hydrocarbon gases are
heavier than air and will therefore tend to gather at the lowest point on a location, which is
normally in the cellar. Do not be tempted to climb alone into a cellar on a land location to
look at the equipment or check the gauges - there may not be enough oxygen there to support

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