This document provides an overview of safety and environmental management practices in the upstream oil and gas industry. It discusses the health, safety, and environmental policy of ONGC, terms used in the industry, causes of accidents, major activities (drilling, production, exploration), and safety practices for each. It also covers risk assessment and analysis, technologies to enhance fire and life safety, and concludes by emphasizing the importance of addressing potential health risks early in project planning processes.
2. CONTENTS HSE Policy
Terms in Upstream Oil and Gas Industry
Causes of Accidents
Major Activities of Upstream Oil and Gas Industry
Safety and Environment Management in Drilling
Operations
Safety and Environment Management in Production
Operations
Safety and Environment Management in Exploration
Activities
RISK Assessment And Analysis
Technology To Enhance FIRE And LIFE SAFETY
Conclusion
3. HSE-POLICY
SAFETY POLICY
ONGC believes that no work or service or activity is so important or urgent
that safety be overlooked or compromised. Safety of the employees and
public, protection of their as well as Corporation's assets shall be
paramount. Corporation considers that safety is one of the important tools
to enhance productivity and to reduce national losses.
HEALTH POLICY
To provide a structured program to look after and promote the health of
vital "Human resource", essential for productivity and effectiveness of the
corporation.
ENVIRONMENT
The corporation is committed to conduct its operation in such a manner as
compatible with environment and economic development of the
community. Its aim is to create an awareness and respect for the
environment, stressing on every employee's involvement in
environmental improvement by ensuring healthy operating practices,
philosophy and training.
4. TERMS USED IN UPSTREAM OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY
Gas Flaring: Strive towards ultimate elimination of hydrocarbon flaring.
Gas Venting: Eliminate continuous venting hydrocarbon disposal.
Halons: Zero losses of halons by gradual elimination/ replacement.
Resources: Optimize use of resources – land, energy and raw materials.
Discharge of waste/ produced water: Dispose the produce water and effluents
compatible with the environment in line with national regulatory standards and
international standards as well.
Drilling muds and cuttings: Not to use oil based muds except in emergency
requirement and dispose off drilling mud’s and contaminated cuttings in such a way as
not to release contaminants to the environment.
5. Contd..
Solid Wastes: Control and minimize all other solid wastes and treat
and dispose as per international standards.
Oil and Chemical spills: Prevent oil and chemical spills and, if they
occur, clean them up in timely and environment friendly manner.
6. Causes of Accident
The various causes of accidents are:
Defect in Design
Defect in Construction
Defect in Material of Equipment
Faulty Operation or Maintenance
Lack of Monitoring
7. Major Activities of Upstream Oil and
Gas Industry
Drilling Activities
Production Activities
Exploration Activities
8. Safety and Environment Management in
Drilling Operations
Drilling operations are carried out to locate hydrocarbons (Exploratory
drilling) to delineate a discovered reserve, to develop a reservoir for
production, for water injection, for EOR and for disposal purposes.
Some serious accidents that occurred in the recent past in India and
abroad, emphasized the need for the industry to review the existing
state of art in designing, operating and maintaining oil and gas
installations.
9. Critical operations need to be focused for safe
and healthy well completion
Prior to spudding of the well
During drilling operations
After drilling
Before round trip
During round trip
Before lowering casing
During lowering of casing
Prior to DST operation
After DST operating
During logging
During wire line operation
During fishing
During casing
During production testing
Preparation for cementation
During cementation
10. Things to be taken care of
Drill Cutting Discharge
Rig movement and Rig Building
Drilling
11. Safety and Environment Management in
Production Operations
Fire – a major safety hazard
Produced Water
Emissions to Air
Discharge & spillage of hydrocarbons.
Accidental release of hydrocarbons.
Flaring of gas.
Disposal of formation water.
Inland Spills
12. Safety and Environment Management in
Exploration Activities
On Land Exploration activities in upstream of hydrocarbon industry
primarily involve Geophysical Survey, Logging, perforation reservoir
studies and allied operations.
Explosives
Geological Surveys
Generators
Shooting
Well Logging
USE OF EXPLOSIVES FOR WELL PERFORATION
13. HSE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
Commitment and Leadership –Demonstrate the desire for world-class
performance.
Roles, Responsibilities & Accountabilities- Make everyone aware of
his/her personal obligations regarding safety and that he/she will be
evaluated and held accountable.
Policy & Procedures- Document & proper filing of essential information,
work requirements, preventive maintenance and safe operating
procedures.
Behaviour Skills- Motivate, observe and reinforce individuals to use safe
behaviours.
Training – Assess training needs and develop the knowledge, skills,
attitudes and competencies for individuals to perform in a safe manner.
14. Contd..
Communications – Exchanging of information during meeting and
allowing two-way dialogue among individuals on HSE issues and
performance.
Risk Management & Evaluation – Identify, access and manage
hazards situations which may pose a risk to people or assets and
provide control.
Performance Measurement & Assessment – Establish track
measures to assess and improve progress towards safety excellence.
Audits – Use a systematic approach to evaluate compliance or not and
to use the results to improve safety performance.
Incident Investigation – Utilized trained personnel to investigate
each incident to determine the root cause, communicate the result and
use the information to take corrective actions to prevent future
accidents and determine the accident costs
15. RISK ASSESSMENT AND ANALYSIS
Identification of all credible hazards or threats to operations, along with
a list of critical control measures and development of a risk register.
Layers of protection analysis and safety integrity levels.
Consequence assessments, in order to evaluate the impact of potential
undesirable events including fire and explosion assessments, toxic gas
dispersion and business interruption.
Likelihood estimation for potential events based on historical data and
frequency modelling.
Risk assessments at different levels of detail (qualitative, semi-
quantitative and quantitative).
Development of risk-based and cost -effective solutions and decision
support together with customers.
Training in risk assessment approaches for representatives.
16. TECHNOLOGY TO ENHANCE FIRE AND LIFE SAFETY
Actively explore ways to identify and utilize the latest technology
to push the education and code message.
Develop smoke alarm technology that serves needs of broad range
of occupants, especially those at highest risk.
Establish a competition to encourage the development of new
technologies.
Increase the number of residential occupancies, including
modular and manufactured homes, using fire sprinklers.
Fully utilize technology for real time reporting of emergency
response data.
Require inherently safer consumer commodities.
17. Contd..
Develop complete strategies for introducing new fire and burn
prevention technologies to consumers.
Develop technology to improve residential fire/emergency
evacuation processes.
Support completion and adoption of integrated building design
and construction.
Create a nationally standardized inspection reporting system by
utilizing handheld technologies to support the fire inspection
process.
Require inherently safer consumer commodities.
18. CONCLUSION
Upstream oil and gas operations involve a range of activities, including
exploration and drilling, conventional oil and gas production, extraction
and processing of ‘tar sands’, heavy oil processing and pipeline operations.
Firstly, to outline the nature of health risks in the offshore oil and gas
industry to date.
Secondly, to outline the commercial, technical and social challenges that
could influence the future context of health management in the industry.
Thirdly, to speculate how the health function within the industry needs to
respond to these challenges. The relative stability of the knowledge base
regarding health hazards offshore may change as more innovative methods
are employed to develop hydrocarbon resources in more ‘difficult’
environments. Society's willingness to accept risk is changing. Addressing
potential health risks should be done much earlier in the planning process
of major projects. This may reveal a skills gap in health professionals as a
consequence of needing to employ more anticipatory tools, such as
modeling exposure estimations and the skills and willingness to engage
effectively with engineers and other HSSE professionals.