DRILLBITS – February 2016
This Month’s Articles
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IADC comments on President Obama’s 2017 budget, urges collaboration with oil and gas industry to boost american economy
On 9 February, the White House released President Obama’s 2017 budget proposal. In response, IADC President Jason McFarland issued the following statement:
“The U.S. oil and natural gas industry supports 9.8 million jobs and contributes billions of dollars each year to the U.S. Treasury. Despite these significant contributions, the President’s budget continues to use the oil and natural gas industry as an ATM to pay for proposals to fix traffic congestion, poor infrastructure and other items that our nation needs to address. This needs to be done without penalizing an industry that spurs our economic development and provides much needed energy for the U.S.”
“IADC members are eager to work with this Administration to reduce the overzealous regulations that impede our ability to work. We can, and do, provide good paying middle class jobs, which is an acknowledged priority for this Administration. However, we are only able to accomplish this if we are allowed to operate in an economically feasible and predictable regulatory environment.”
BSEE releases addendum to QC-FIT Evaluation of Fastener Failures
On 24 February, BSEE released an update to its original August 2014 technical review on the failure of connectors and bolts used in critical equipment.
The Quality Control Failure Incident Evaluation of Fastener Failures Addendum examines an additional June 2014 occurrence of fastener failure, compares it to previous incidents and presents additional findings and recommendations.
The report highlights the similarities of fastener failure incidents dating to 2003, and includes concerns with fastener hardness and coatings, the potential for environmentally-assisted corrosion, use of the most recent industry standards and subcontracted vendor oversight issues.
The report makes recommendations for further technical studies, as well as a comprehensive industry review of standards related to fasteners and the possible incorporation of some existing industry standards into federal regulation.
More information can be found at www.bsee.gov/bolts.
IADC Leadership Model and Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA) Project now available
During its April 2015 meeting, the IADC Workforce Development Committee recognized a crucial need for the development of industry recommended non-technical competencies focusing on leadership. The leadership competencies, the first non-technical competencies to be defined by IADC, are designed to complement the previously developed technical KSAs and are pertinent at all personnel levels from roustabout to office operations. Development and utilization is aimed at cultivating safe and reliable operations as well as enhancing operational integrity through employee development.
The industry recommended Leadership Model and competencies developed by the workgroup consists of four competence standards. Within each standard are three defined levels of employee contribution: individual, team, and organization. Each contribution level has identified KSAs tied to specific positions. Competencies from lower levels roll up to higher levels. The model can be used by industry companies to shape leadership competency development within their organization, to evaluate their current leadership model, or as a basis for creating a company specific leadership model.
The Leadership Model and KSAs can be accessed via the IADC Accreditation website.
IADC Supply Chain Committee develops Rig Entry & Exit Process for the United States
With the help of U.S. customs agents, the IADC Supply Chain Committee has developed a guidance for any drilling contractor who intends to bring a Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit (MODU) into and out of the United States. The document will assist drilling contractors in minimizing their exposure to incorrect customs clearances, delays and/or penalties.
This document contains the requirements for the following rig arrival scenarios:
- MODU arrives on location from a foreign port to engage in activities on the outer continental shelf (OCS) without making a port of call, and also for consequential moves between fields on the OCS.
- MODU arrives at a US Port, from a foreign location or from a field (block) on the OCS under its own power or by wet tow.
- MODU arrives at a US Port, from a foreign location or from a field (block) on the OCS by dry tow as cargo.
Each of the scenarios includes requirements for arrival into the US, garbage and food waste disposal, wood packing, and departure from the US.
This document can be accessed via the IADC Supply Chain Committee webpage.
IADC seeks drilling contractors to develop alarm management guidelines
The IADC Advanced Rig Technology (ART) Committee has formed an Alarm Management Task Force to help address gaps between standards addressing alarm protocols for alarms on drilling control systems. The task force has been formed to investigate whether IADC can develop guidelines for drilling contractors and equipment manufacturers to improve alarm management. The work gropu is organized under the auspices of the ART Committee’s Drilling Control Systems (DCS) Subcommittee.
The group will specifically review existing protocol standards for alarm management and reporting. This will include the alarm’s role, alarm message, equipment origin, alarm meaning, priority, action and/or resolution. The goal is to identify the methodology of applying this standard to a DCS.
The task force’s work to date reveals variability in how DCS alarms meet process alarm standards set forth by the Engineering and Equipment Materials Users’ Association, the International Standards Association and the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate. Reasons include too many alarms, lack of a clear alarm philosophy and missing documentation.
The task force has recommended that drilling contractors create a single alarm philosophy to explain how they intend to handle alarms for each system on their rig, from drilling to fluid handling to positioning. It also advises increasing the amount of documentation relating to alarms, including a master alarm list that would define all alarms available, an alarm action list to outline what to do in case of an alarm, and a document that specifies the responsibility of those interfacing with the alarm system.
At this time, the task force is working to develop guidelines for DCS alarms that would help contractors meet these recommendations and align their alarm management practices more closely with those prescribed by standards. To do so, the task force is seeking input from contractors. The ART committee will review the status of the guidelines during its meeting on 17 March and plans to submit a draft of the guidelines to the ART committee on 19 May.
To participate in the guideline drafting, please contact Christopher Goetz who is leading the task force, or Trenton Martin, Chair of the DCS Subcommittee.
Drilling Contractor Anthology Series: DC HSE&T eBook now available
Now available via the IADC Bookstore, the latest eBook within the Drilling Contractor Anthology Series, DC HSE&T is a compilation of the best Drilling Contractor magazine articles on the topic of health, safety, environment and technology.
The book is available in eBook format, and includes 55 articles which cover a range of safety topics including process safety, dropped objects, safety culture, general safety, and training. It also includes 18 videos which feature industry leaders discussing these topics.
The eBook can be purchased online at IADC’s website.
Supreme Court stays US Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan
On 9 February, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked the implementation of the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Power Plan while its being challenged in court. The rule aims to slash carbon emissions from existing power plants, and is the agency’s effort to control greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act.
Industry groups and more than two dozen states filed five separate stay applications. The stay means that the EPA is unable to continue to implement or enforce the Clean Power Plan pending the resolution of the state and industry challenges to the rule.
The challenge is currently before the US Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, which will hear oral arguments on 2 June, with a decision not expected until the fall of 2016.
For more information on the specifics of the Clean Power Plan, please visit the EPA’s website.
Accreditation Updates
RigPASS
DIT
WellSharp
Safety Alerts
For the latest safety alerts, visit www.iadc.org/safety-alerts
Alert 15-05: Smashed fingers on tongs
Alert 15-06: Caught between winch truck and half pit
Alert 15-07: Poor situation awareness/Line of fire incident results in OSHA Recordable
Rigs Receive ISP Certificates
For certificates received since last LTI (in years):
New IADC Members
IADC welcomes 22 new members:
DRILLBITS Volume 26, Number 2
Tom Burke, Chairman • Jason McFarland, President (Interim) • Amy Rose, Editor
All listed phone extensions are for IADC’s Houston headquarters,
+1/713-292-1945. Fax +1/713-292-1946.
Send comments/questions to Amy Rose at amy.rose@iadc.org.
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IADC Director – Membership Sharon Thorpe at sharon.thorpe@iadc.org.