The purpose of this procedure is to ensure that:
- Changes during drilling and workover operations performed within Well Operations are assessed for risks, approved and documented.
- Actions are taken to ensure that HSSE, business and commercial issues are not compromised and the potential for accident is reduced to meet COMPANY “As Low As Reasonably Practicable” (ALARP) criteria.
SCOPE
The scope of this procedure is to provide a methodology within Well Operations when changes are being considered or deemed necessary during drilling and workover activities (i.e. after the Drilling/ Workover Programme has been approved).
Management of Change during the planning phase of a well (i.e. new location selection geotechnical document, and well design) is not addressed in this document.
REFERENCES
This procedure works in conjunction with other Key Procedures to achieve Management of Change. These include, but are not limited to, the following:
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Drilling/ Workover Operations Engineer:
Responsible for completing and submitting the Change Request Form.
Drilling/ Workover Superintendent:
Responsible for reviewing and implementing the proposed change.
Well Construction Manager:
Responsible for approving the proposed change and the requirement or not to perform a formal Risk Assessment.
Well Engineering Manager:
Provides the technical expertise and guidance on well design and procedures related matters and technical specifications for new material/ equipment .
Permit and Regulation Expert:
Provides technical expertise and guidance on regulation and requirements
Risk Manager:
Provides the interface with regard to technical expertise and guidance on risk and safety related matters.
Well Operations Manager:
Responsible for authorizing the proposed change.
HSE Superintendent
Provide expertise on HSE regulations and requirements
PROCEDURES
The Process Flow Diagram is included in Appendix 1.
The purpose of the procedure is to ensure that for each change to the programme/ plan,
- impact on Geotechnical Document and Basis of Design has been checked.
- risk implications have been evaluated and assessed.
- agreement with existing policies has been confirmed.
- consistency with regulations and permits has been checked
- Well Operations and other COMPANY resources/ expertise have been consulted as appropriate.
- the need for a supplementary AFE has been considered
A Change Request Form is included in Appendix 2 . The purpose of this form is to ensure that changes are documented, approved and communicated.
Changes in drilling operations can vary from a change in the drilling parameter (e.g. WOB) for which instruction/ approval should simply be communicated by email, to a change of design due to downhole problem (losses, influx, stuck pipe, etc) which will require various level of risk assessment and involvement of various resources (Corporate Risk Assessment, Contract, Budget, RPE, Well Engineering, Permitting, etc.)
Establishing a complete list of such potential changes is not practical. Appendix 3 presents guidelines for typical types of changes.