Perforating Safety

Operator, Contractor, and perforating Service Company employees are all involved in this type of operation.  The coordination of all activities in connection with a perforating job should be under the direction of one previously designated individual.  The Person in Charge should hold a pre-job safety meeting with all involved personnel.  The safety meeting should be repeated for the benefit of the new crews whenever the tour changes. The following suggestions are offered to minimize hazards involved in perforating operations.  More information is available from the Recommended Practices for Oilfield Explosives Safety, API RP 67.

  1. Perforating operations involving electrical detonators should not be carried out during electrical or static-generating dust storms. All types of perforating gun loading should be suspended during electrical/static storms.
  2. Perforating operations involving electrical detonators will not be performed while a mobile transmission set (radio or telephone) is in operation within 150 feet of the well and/or the perforation truck. Cell phones should be controlled by surrendering them to the Person in Charge. They should be turned off before rigging up the perforating gun and not turned on until the Perforating Company and Operator advise it is safe to do so.
  3. On recovering the guns from the well, the guns should always be treated as live. The use of radios or cell phones should be reestablished only when the guns are confirmed to be disarmed. Certain types of modern Radio Frequency (RF) safe detonators may not require radio silence. However, never assume these devices are in use without consulting with the Operator and Service Company Supervisors.
  4. There shall be no smoking except in designated smoking areas agreed upon by the Operator, Contractor, and Service Company Supervisors. Personnel are to leave all smoking materials, such as cigarettes, cigars, pipes, and all matches and lighters in their cars, designated smoking area, or crew change house to prevent anyone from unknowingly “lighting up” on or near the rig floor during perforating operations.
  5. Loading and unloading perforating guns will be done as far away from electrical generation plants and electrical transmission systems as possible. The Service Company Supervisor will measure for stray voltages. If stray voltages exist, it may be necessary to shut down the rig light plant and/or generator. Explosion proof flashlights will be used instead when necessary.
  6. Arming and disarming of guns is the most critical phase and all personnel not actually working on the gun will remain at a safe distance from the gun while it is being prepared or unloaded. For electric line perforating, the logging cable safety switch key must be removed from the logging unit and be in possession of the crew outside the of the logging unit for all of the following operational phases:
    1. gun arming, rig up, run in the hole to 200-feet (61-meters) below ground level or mudline,
    2. pulling out of hole at 200-feet (61-meters) below ground level or mudline,
    3. rigging down and gun disarming.

Note: The Operator and Service Company Supervisors may mutually agree to change the depth at which the cable safety switch is allowed to be turned on and off based upon sound operational reasons.

  1. During arming, disarming, running in the hole to a depth of 200-feet (61-meters) below ground level or mudline and pulling out of the hole at 200-feet (61-meters) below ground level or mudline, all nonessential personnel will be relocated off the rig floor. On POOH, at a depth of 200-feet retrieval of guns will stop until nonessential personnel are relocated off the rig floor.
  2. Under no circumstances are core-gun bullets or shaped charges to be hammered, chiseled or drilled when being loaded or unloaded.
  3. Only employees of Service Company will load, unload, or handle loaded guns.
  4. All unfired shots, scraps of explosive, and blasting caps will be removed from the rig floor and properly disposed of after each perforating job by the Service Company.
  5. When perforating using electric detonators, all unnecessary stray voltages should be reduced to safe levels or eliminated. Then all equipment including wellhead, derrick and logging unit will be properly grounded before perforating operations are started.
  6. Consideration should be given to the use of proper lubricators or shooting nipples during perforating operations.
  7. During the recovery of any fished explosive device, it is recommended that a Service Company Representative familiar with the device is on hand during its retrieval from the well.