Page 348 - Drilling Technology in Nontechnical Language

Chapter 14 – SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES 339

Safety Alerts

Various agencies (governments and companies) issue notices to the
industry to publicize incidents or accidents. The purpose of disseminating
safety alerts is that lessons can be learned which may prevent a future
occurrence of a similar incident.

While government agencies disseminate safety alerts freely, companies
are rather more reluctant to place this information in the public domain.

If a company identifies an incident that occurred on its rig or operation,
it might lead to bad publicity. It would be preferable if instead of merely
disseminating this information within the company, the responsible
government authority could issue the safety alert but disguise the source
of the incident. The objective of disseminating the alert can be achieved
without identifying the rig and well on which the incident occurred.

Equipment Certi cation

Certification by a responsible and recognized authority assures users

that a particular piece of equipment is fit for purpose. Of especial interest
are items involved in lifting (such as slings, shackles, wire ropes, and
lifting frames) and pressure vessels (such as gas cylinders, pressurized
storage tanks, and high-pressure lines). If these fail, the likelihood of
serious injuries or fatalities is quite high.
Lifting equipment generally is tested every three or six months. Slings
on a rig are often color coded with paint; if a sling does not have the current
color painted on it, it should not be used.

Pressure vessels bear a metal plate that an inspector will stamp after
visually inspecting the tank and applying test pressure to it. Many people
do not appreciate the effect of a pressure vessel bursting with low pressure
on it. Only a few pounds per square inch of pressure is enough to exert a
force on tank plates that will cause large pieces to fly off with enough force

to kill.
Electrical equipment carries a rating that signifies whether or not

it can be used in potentially explosive atmospheres. A drilling rig (or
production station) is divided into zones according to the likelihood of an
explosive atmosphere being present. A zone 1 area is likely to experience

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