SAFETY IN OIL & GAS INDUSTRY (EG210)

GROUP No: 2

ASSIGNMENT No: 1

No. NAME STUDENT ID

1. AKMUHAMMET MAMMETJANOV 1001645434
2. ARIAN HOSSEINZADEH 1001853046
3. MOHAMMED KHALFAN 1001642889
4. KHALED AL JAAIDI 1001541117
5. BALAKUMARAN 1001540636

LECTURER’S NAME: IR Dr. JEYANTHI RAMASAMY

DATE OF SUBMISSION : 16-07-2020

UCSI UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

PRYOR TRUST FATAL GAS WELL BLOWOUT AND FIRE_________________ 4

ISOBUTANE EMISSIONS AT EXXONMOBIL TREATMENT

PLANT______________________________________________________________ 10

MARTIN COUNTY EXPLOSION________________________________________ 16

SANTA BARBARA CHANNEL OIL SPILL________________________________ 22

TANK EXPLOSION IN MIDLAND RESOURCE RECOVERY_________________ 28

REFERENCES________________________________________________________ 34

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 ARIAN HOSSEINZADEH

PRYOR TRUST FATAL GAS WELL

BLOWOUT AND FIRE
JANURY 22, 2018

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Describe the accident and hazard present in that accident
In January 22nd 2018, the Pryor well in Pittsburgh Oklahoma which was operated by Red
Mountain operating LLC exploded and blowout and rig fire caused killing five workers, during the
contract with Paterson UTI drilling company in order to change a drill pit.

According to Dr. Kristen Kulinowski the CSB interim Executive Authority, “industry best
practices recommend having two protective barriers in place at all times during drilling operations but our
investigation into the incident that the prior trust well found that both of those barriers failed the safety
management system utilized that the well was simply not effective and the result was a catastrophic
blowout and fire.”

The Pryor trust Gasps well was contained of a Vertical and Horizontal sections of drilling in
order to reach the natural resources in the Woodford geological formation. Through drilling a liquid
called mud is pumped down in the pipe and back up through the area of the well outside of the drill pipe
which is called the annulus. Rock cuttings from inside the well mud is coming to the surface with
returning the mud, but there is another important element that is designed to add pressure to the well to
prevent the gas within the exposed geological formation to enter the well during the drilling and if the gas
enters the well there is a risk if the gas is not detected can be lead to a blowout.

On January 21st,2018 Paterson crew were drilling for 10 days under supervision of representatives
from Red Mountain. It was during the drilling of the horizontal section that a crew member called Mud
logger was investigating the types if rocks coming back to the surface and realized that they were not as
expected. He thought the drill pipe had accidentally entered a different geological formation where they
did not aim for. Shortly after, gas started to breakout the mud coming back to the ground. The gas caused
the mud to spit out of the machine close to the well.
At 11 a.m. the crew adjusted piping so the mud coming from well was moved to an equipment
called a mud gas separator which removed gas from the mud. After that the separated gas was then
transmitted to a flare to burn. Based on the size of the flare, there was a large amount of Gas mud and the
well had become destabilized which means that pressure was not holding the gas out of the well as
expected.
The crew continued the drilling destabilized until 3:30 p.m. and then they stopped since the drill
became warm and needed to be changed. The well was circulated by pumping mud into the drill pipe. The
flare continued while the well was circulating which was a warning that the well is under balanced. While
the well was circulating the Red Mountain representatives considered how to remove the drill pipe from
the well to change the drill bit. The process to change the pipe is called crimping. In this operation the
mud is pumped to the well as alternative volume when the pipe is being removed which prevents the gas
to entering the well.

Red Mountain representatives decided to use a method called calculated fill, which contains
periodically pumping a calculated amount of mud into the well. When the drill pipe was removed they
thought that method would hold the well contained in case if gas entered during the procedure. But the
case was not standard and normal drilling. They started to remove the drill pipe at 6:47 p.m. While

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tripping the drill pipe in the horizontal section of the well, small amount of mud was pumped and caused
the gas to enter the well. The driller who was controlling the situation from inside an office on the raid
told the drillers cabin not seeing the difference which is because of lack of training on a new electronic
version of a trip sheet which is a form to monitor and calculate if the well is having a proper amount of
mud, therefore, he could not see that the amount of gas entering the well is significant and causing
pressure in the well and mud backflow to the tank in the surface. The pressure at the surface had been
increased a lot so the centrifugal pump could no longer pump mud against the pressure of the well. Then
the representative decided to change to a higher pressure pump which is called mud pumps.

They thought the pressure applied with new equipment would be able to push away the gas but
when the drill bit reached to the top of the curve, 20 barrels of gas had entered within the well without
any of the crew notice. After that drilling crew performed a flow check to see if the well is stable and they
did not observe any flow of gas and they considered the well is stable but according to CSB the flow
check was inadequate.

at 11:00 p.m. the drilling crew once again circulated the well. While the well was circulating, the
rig’s mud pits in which the tanks were holding the mud at the surface, and equipped with alarm and
sensors gained 14 barrels of mud, when they considered to be stable.
Basically this means the well gained almost 14 barrels of gas which triggered the mud to escape to the
surface but surprisingly the nightshift driller turned off the sensors before the tripping and when there was
a large gain there was no alarm and it went unnoticed.
Red Mountains representatives then asked to pump a weighted volume of mud into the well in order to
make enough pressure to prevent the gas from entering the well. But the instructions was misheard from a
Paterson drilling crew and they accidentally added lost circulation material to the pill. This material is
being used to clog breaches in the well. Even though the mistake was found, the pill having the lost
circulation material was pumped down to the bottom of the drill pipe clogging it.
1:12 a.m. on January 22nd the drill pipe was removed from the vertical section of the well using the
continuous fill method where mud is pumped continuously into the well as the drill pipe is removed but
since the drill pipe was clogged the mud could not freely draining into the well.
The crew tried to pump a weighted of mud into the drilling pipe to push out the clogged mud which was
not successful. The crew used an equipment called mud bucket to collect the mud from the pipe which
they pulled into the trip tank but it also used to pump mud to the well during the tripping therefore the
trip tank volume began to fluctuate while mud was pumped out and draw off from the pipe. The
fluctuations misperceived drilling crew and they did not understand while the pipe removed from vertical
section, it gained 23 barrels of gas. The crew finally removed the plugged part of the drill when drill bit
reached the top of the well. And then they tried to clear the clog for about an hour meanwhile during the
shift change the well gained another 31 barrels of gas and no one saw the gain.
At 6:10 a.m. the bottom whole assembly was lifted out and the blind rams was closed on the blowout
preventer. A new bottom hole assembly was prepared in order for testing. After that a crew checked
pressure gauge on the rig surface to check whether if it showed pressure in the well, which is a safety
precaution used before the operation of the blowout preventer no pressure was shown from pressure
gauge.

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 but at 7:57 a.m. 5 barrels of mud surged to the mud pits when the blind Rams started again. At that time
the steel plate was pulled away by the crew to cover the hole in the rig floor over the well. He gave a sign
to the other worker who saw mud bubbling in the well. Which was a mark that there was a large amount
of gas in the mud that afterwards the worker declared that he does not know whether if the mud bubbling
was communicated to the driller between 7 a.m. and 8:35 a.m.
During the new bottom hole assembly another 102 barrels was added to the mud pits. This large amount
likely revealed on the drillers data screen but the day shift driller turned off the alarm system and it is
unknown whether they realized about this hazard.
At 8:35 with testing complete the bottom hole assembly was removed from the well and the mud pits
gained another 12 barrels of mud. So the total of 207 barrels of gas gained from the beginning of the
drilling.
Apparently a member of drilling crew saw the mud flowing up in the blowout preventer stack the mud
was shot up and was getting closer to the rig floor, so the crew member warned the driller and the driller
decided to close the blind ram but he could not make it.
Shortly after the mud blew upwards out of the well what is commonly known as blowout. Two of the
workers escaped into the drillers cabin while the other three workers were already located. Then the gas
ignited and caused a massive fire. All five workers were killed. The fire continued until 4:00 p.m. when a
well-controlled services company was able to shut in the well.
According to CSB The night shift driller shut down the entire alarm system and even the day shift
turned on the alarm system, he turned it off quickly as well so in total the alarm system was down for
about 14 hours which led to the blowout.

“we were not able to conclusively determine why the drillers turned the alarm system off a
possible reason why they did is that the alarms were perceived as a nuisance or an annoyance in fact we
found that had the alarm system been on most of the alarms that would have activated during the 14 hours
leading up to the incident likely would have been irrelevant to detecting the problems in the well. We
concluded that what's called a state-based alarm strategy is one way to solve this issue for example on a
drilling rig there could be different active alarms for each operation such as drilling tripping and
circulating so that alarms critical to a certain operation do not become an annoyance when operating in a
different state where those alarms are not needed” said The CSB Investigator, Lauren Grim.
The fact that how long the victims remained alive inside the cabin but they had no way to escape
and there was no escape routes available at that specific moments. There were two exit doors to the
outside of the cabin but both were blocked with the flames after the explosion. It is concluded based on
CSB investigation that had the fire rating of the drillers cabin been ensured for a minimum time with
emergency escape options there were a better chance of surviving for those workers from this incident.
The drillers cabin is near the rig floors so the key man can see, talk over radio and maybe even directly to
the workers. But having the cabin near the rig of course increases the level of risk facing the hazards we
probably think further about how do we improve the reliability and safety of these cabins for these
unusual event.

According to The CSB, the cause of the blowout and rig fire was the failure of the barriers that
were supposed to be in place during the project, led to the blowout. Those barriers were the main
prevention barrier, hydrostatic pressure made by drilling mud and also the secondary mitigation barrier,

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human detection of gas entering the well and to activate of the blowout preventer. During the operation,
when the well became unstable and unbalanced the main protective barrier was lost but the operation
continued and did not stop and the barrier did not re-established by increasing the weight of mud and
there was no analysis on the loss of the primary barrier.
Red Mountain company used a drilling method called drilling of prognosis which is a sort of well
plan. But the plan failed to specify what barriers were essential or how to find if a barrier was lost,
allegedly the development of a more comprehensive plan such as what's known as the well construction
interface document which is used more widely in offshore drilling was not required.

Recommendations on Mitigation:
1) Even though there are many guidance and recommendations for designing alarm systems in
hazardous situations none of them are exclusively aimed for the drilling industry. However there
are some recommendation to the American Petroleum Institute proposed by CSB which is
developing a standard on alarm management only for drilling industry that addresses drillings
unique environment and there be some guidance available on implementing a state-based alarm
system for different operating modes.
2) Although there are many practices in chemical industry in order for the location of the control
rooms, there are no exclusive guidance for drilling. CSB has proposed a recommendation to the
American Petroleum Institute to improve the guidance addressing the safety of onshore rig crews
from explosion and blowout hazards in such incidents and address the design and location of the
drillers cabin and establish minimum required evacuation methods from various locations on the
break.
3) Flow checks are necessary for safety of operation which are used to find if the gas is entering the
well which it possible to cause a blowout. Patterson policies also required flow checks during the
operation. But apparently out of 27 required flow checks, only 2 were performed and those were
not enough. If the flow checks were performed completely, it was probable that the flowing of
well were discovered and that could have prevented the blowout. In conclusion, the Flow checks
are very important elements in order for a safe work environment and it should not be neglected.

Accident Prevention:
In order to prevent such blowouts drillings,
1) contractors and operators need to develop a well construction boundary document,
2) bridging the operators and drilling contractors safety systems and providing a barrier plan containing
how to observe barriers and how to act when a barrier is not working normally.
3) Set a proper procedures for operations involving Tripping.
4) design of alarm system so that only the alarms representing condition requiring drilling crew attention
are present.
5) Perform drills to test railing crews abilities to find and respond to clues of entry. And last but not least,
6) execute an indicators program to control and improve policy implementation rates.

The Rules And Laws Of Professional Responsibilities In Oil And Gas

Industry:

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There are some Federal principles, managing the safety of onshore oil and gas drilling projects,
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Process Safety Management (PSM)
Which requires a hazard analysis of the operation does not cover drilling industry. Without any federal
safety standards for oil and gas drilling companies are managed by rules of individual state laws. The
laws in Oklahoma are not based on safety but instead stress maximizing production and eliminating the
loss of hydrocarbons. Where the accident happens. While it should be more focused and specialized
continuously reporting just like OSHA PSM standard in Chemical industry is required to better monitor
the natural hazards to drilling. By using an effective safety management system drilling companies can
reduce the chance of incidents and accidents in an active way to protect their workers and the
environment. Therefore, it is recommended to OSHA to either set the PSM standard to drilling of oil and
gas wells or create a new standard with a safety management system structure similar to PSM that
applies only for the drilling of onshore oil and gas wells.

The Impact Of Oil And Gas Incidents To Environmental Society:

Oil and Gas Industry even though have a lot of benefits, still having some negative effects on
environment. Such as Leaking into the ocean and causing pollution, Climate change and perhaps
destroying the landscapes. Carbon emissions from oil and gas in existing fields and mines take the world
beyond 1.5°C of warming and nearly exhaust a 2°C carbon budget.
But one of the roles of a Petroleum Engineers is to Design and implement environmental controls on oil
and gas operations and also Supervise the removal of drilling equipment, the removal of any waste, and
the safe return of land to structural stability when wells or pockets are exhausted.

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 MOHAMMED KHALFAN

ISOBUTANE EMISSIONS AT
EXXONMOBIL TREATMENT PLANT
IN BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA
NOVEMBER 22, 2016

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1. Describe the accident and hazard present in that accident.

On November 22, 2016, isobutane emissions and fire injured four workers in a sulfuric
acid alkylation unit at an ExxonMobil treatment plant in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. When
removing the gearbox on the plug valve, the administrator, acting out this action, evacuated
the main tremors, watching the weight of the retaining valve segment, known as the upper
top. At that moment, when the administrator at that moment tried to open the connection
valve with a wrench, the valve fell apart and released isobutane into the device, forming a
cloud of combustible gases. Isobutane reached the ignition source within 30 seconds after the
release, causing a fire and severely burned four workers who could not get out of the vapor
cloud before it ignited.

On the afternoon of November 22, 2016, two Baton Rouge refinery alkylation unit
operation were prepared isobutane equipment for maintenance. As part of this preparations,
the operators needed to adjust the valves for commissioning a spare isobutane pump. To
switch pumps, operators had to open the inlet plug valve for the spare pump. The refinery
used a type of valve, known as a quarter-turn plunger valve, for many applications in the
alkylation unit, including inlet valves for these isobutane pumps.
Rarely used plug valves like this are often manually operated. The operator turns the
handwheel connected to the gearbox to open or close the valve. The handwheel rotates the
gears to rotate the valve stem to the open or closed position, and the support bracket attaches
the gears to the valve body with bolts. At noon, one of the operators tried to open the plug
valve to the spare pump using a handwheel attached to the valve. But the gearbox did not
work properly, and although the handwheel turned, the valve did not open.
One operator removed the gearbox assembly so that it could rotate the valve stem with a
pipe wrench to open the valve. Removing a defective gearbox from a plug valve is common
practice for alkylation unit operators. To remove the gearbox, the operator removed the four
vertical bolts that connected the gearbox support bracket to the valve body. These four bolts,
however, also attached the top cover of the pressure-holding component to the valve body.
Two horizontal bolts that can safely remove the gearbox from the support bracket remained
in place.
One operator then opened the valve by turning the valve stem with a pipe wrench while
another operator was observing. With four bolts removed from the top cover, critical valve
components were no longer held together. When the operator turned the valve stem, the
plunger valve loosened and fell apart. Isobutane exited the valve body under pressure,
forming a flammable cloud of white vapor

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 After being released, operators shouted to others in the area, including workers on
scaffolding above, warning them of danger and ordering them to evacuate. One of the
operators warned the flight attendant about the emergency on the radio and told him to turn
off the unit. ExxonMobil estimates that 2,000 pounds of isobutane are emitted into the
atmosphere, and within 30 seconds the area was on fire.

Related causes:

A number of Baton Rouge safety management system led to the removal of the plunger valve
gearbox and the unintentional disassembly of its pressure-bearing top cap, resulting in
isobutane discharge and fire.
Plug valves, such as those used in the Baton Rouge refinery alkylation plant, can be difficult
to operate, and refinery records indicate that the handwheel and gearbox assembly are
designed for easy operation of the valve. Even in low pressure applications, the operating
torque of the plunger valve is high. In fact, some Baton Rouge refinery operators told the
CSB that they had previously encountered many difficulties trying to use gearboxes in the
refinery's alkylation unit, such as a free spinning gearbox handwheel as a jamming issue.

In discussing the reliability issues with the plug valve gearboxes, an alkylation unit operator
explained: “So you have problems just with the gearbox sometimes. You’ll go to turn it and
it won’t move. Sometimes the little shear pins that ... that the hand wheel mount to the
steering with, they’ll break, they’ll shear off. And you can replace those pins. We’ve had
them ... we’ve had them just free spin. Like gears or something break inside of them and they
free spin.”

OSHA requires that every employee involved in process management be trained in process
review and operational procedures. Training should include an emphasis on specific health
hazards, emergency operations, including shutdown, and safe working methods applicable to
the worker's tasks. In addition, an agreement between ExxonMobil and the United
Steelworkers Union states that, as part of their duties, operators will perform mechanical
tasks on their designated work equipment. The agreement provides an obligation to train
these workers, stating that the Baton Rouge refinery has provided CSB with numerous
training records that the company claims to have given to its operators. None of these
documents, however, addressed how to remove an inoperable gearbox from a plug valve.

Transmission support brackets on 15 plug valves located in the Baton Rouge refinery
alkylation unit were attached using the same four vertical bolts that secure the pressure-
holding top cover to the valve body. However, this gearbox design is more than 30 years old
can simply be removed by removing the two horizontal bolts without breaking the critical
bolts of the top cover.

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The impact of oil and gas incidents to environmental society

Oil and gas production is a huge problem for the wild. Loud noises and human movement
from drilling operations can interfere with communication, reproduction and nesting of wild
animals. Infrastructure built for energy development can also be a hindrance. Power lines,
wells, fences and fragments of roads are usually built where many species live. There are 1.3
million oil and gas facilities in the world from operating production wells to refineries.
. More than 12 million people live in these facilities, and many are exposed to air and water
pollution every day, which can lead to health problems.
After the industrial revolution, people burned more and more fossil fuels, releasing more
greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. These emissions trap unwanted solar heat and cause
the temperature of the planet to rise.

The consequences around us are in the form of longer seasonal forest fires, stronger
hurricanes and strong heat waves. The oil combustion process is responsible for the increased
occurrence of acid rain. Combustion causes an increase in the amount of nitrogen oxides, as
well as sulfur dioxide from sulfur in oil. These by-products combine with water in the
atmosphere to create acid rain. Elevated concentrations of nitrates and other acidic
substances have a significant effect on the pH level of precipitation.

Oil and Gas industries cause the air humans breathe in very harmful, due to producing fumes
that are required by various vehicles and machines, they pollute the air with harmful
chemicals. The rise in pollution in the air leads to different health concerns that occur and are
very common, this affects the local community.

Oil spills tend to happen frequently, this is a risk to wildlife animals, as it creates thin layer
on the surface that stops oxygen getting to animals and plants which disrupts the food chain
of animals .Water can also be contaminated due to the oil spill. There is an occasional release
of potentially hazardous materials, such as solvents and acid or alkaline materials. Due to
water contamination, many people get affected as purifying water may turn out to be
expensive.
Oil and Gas industries put people life at risk as large oil spills or leaks create fire and lead to
explosions and deaths of other people around. Due to accidents that lead to death people in a
community prefer to stay away from such living areas to avoid incidents from taking place.
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 Noise pollution is also a major factor considered in Oil industries. The equipment that is
being used to produce oil can generate a lot of loud noise. Society tries to avoid areas where
oil and gas industries are located. This could decrease the population percentage in a country.

Mitigation measures

The oil and gas industry, potentially one of the most dangerous industries in the World, has
one of the most strict safety programs. The combination of powerful equipment, flammable
chemicals and high pressure processes can lead to dangerous and even fatal incidents.
The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) is a law passed by the government for any
workplace that they must follow to ensure the safety of their workers and conditions they are
working in. Oil and Gas industries have to ensure that they provide enough training and
assistance to their worker before they are allowed to work in dangerous zones as the
company owes a duty of care to their workers. If one fails to comply with rules given to
them and if any harm is cause then the company cannot be held liable as they were alarmed
of the danger in the work place beforehand.
Companies are bound by law to ensure they are creating a safe environment for their workers
and also make them aware of dangerous zones, or any other procedure to ensure their life is
not at risk. If the occupier fails to comply with a duty imposed on him under OSHA then it is
considered as an offence by law and shall be held liable for any danger caused. Any person is
not allowed to misuse any appliance that is being provided to them for only work purposes as
it may risk their health and safety. Any person shall also not be allowed to do any improper
activities in the workplace as they may put their life or another person’s life at risk.
All personal should be equipped with proper personal protection equipment this is to ensure
that if an incident was to happen the personnel around the incident will have some sort of
protection, personal protection equipment does not prevent the hazard this reduces how high
the risk might be if the personal protection equipment were not equipped on the workers The
company should be attentive to all the flammable areas or equipment that can cause a spark
and ignite the area like in this case the spark that ignited the cloud of gas was a welding
machine that was next to the valve where the workers were operating on. To ensure this does
not happen again all flammable or hazardous materials should be clearly labelled and away
from any source that might ignite it

The rules and laws of professional responsibilities in oil and gas industry

All engineers are responsible, but their main responsibility is safety. They are bound by the
legal system in the country of their residence or activity, but must also satisfy the following
criteria in all aspects of their work. We expect that the engineer will always behave
professionally and behave correctly and appropriately in relation to the company in

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accordance with the land legislation in order to satisfy both their own moral principles and
the employment contract. This standard or duty of care is an important legal obligation for
engineers.

The American Society of Engineers says that engineers must maintain and develop the
integrity, honour, and dignity of the engineering profession, using their knowledge and skills
to enhance the well-being of people, to be honest and impartial, and faithfully serve the
community, their employers, and customers; and the desire to increase the competence and
prestige of the profession of engineer

Engineers should be of the utmost importance to ensure the safety, health and welfare of the
population, rendering services only in their areas of competence, to continue their
professional development throughout their careers and provide opportunities for the
development of these engineers under their supervision. Engineers must act in professional
matters for each employer or client and avoid conflicts of interest, they must build their
professional reputation on the basis of their services and must not compete unfairly with
others. Engineers should only communicate with reputable people or organizations and make
public statements only objectively and truthfully.

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 BALAKUMARAN

MARTIN COUNTY EXPLOSION

MARCH 4, 2019

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 1. Describe the accident and hazard present in that accident

On the 4th of March 2019, two workers left this world under tragic circumstances one
afternoon, after an explosion occured at an oilfield in Martin County, Texas. The explosion
happened on Sayle's Ranch around 4 p.m, about a distance of 15 miles north of Stanton, Texas.
20-year-old. Anthony Lara and 22-year-old Noel Olivas Jr. were unfortunately both killed in the
accident that took place. The local police authorities have carried out an investigation and
findings show that a tank battery exploded while the men were carrying out some scheduled
maintenance works. A tank battery is a group of tanks that are connected that receive crude oil
production from the well. In the tank battery, the volume of oil is measured and tested before
pumping the oil into the pipeline system. The local Texan authorities also added that the team
were doing some maintenance works on a heater for pressure treatment when pressed, causing
gas and oil to be flare.
According to Martin County Sheriff Brad Ingram, notable events include the cause of the
accident, whereby the heater treater pressured up, igniting the oil and gas. The crew were
working to do some maintenance as mentioned and carry out a valve replacement when it
pressured up, causing oil and gas to ignite. As for maintenance, if not done properly they present
a hazard to the whole crew, the steel tanks should be kept clean and free from spilled oil or other
material. They should be kept painted and all and any water or accumulated dirt should be
removed from around the bottom edge of the tanks. The hatches and vent-line valves should be
kept closed and inspected periodically for proper operation and gasket condition. Should any
leaks occur, they may be repaired temporarily with lead sealing plugs or toggle bolts. These
leaks should be repaired permanently as soon as possible.
More on the incident, one worker was said to have been killed on the spot due to the
magnitude of the explosion as the crew member was not far from where said explosion occured
while the other casualty occurred on the way to the hospital. First responders arriving on scene
found one man dead and another crew member badly burned. Initially, paramedics transferred
the injured worker to a Midland hospital. He died Monday night, however, on his way to a burn
unit in Lubbock, Texas.

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Related causes:
This should be known to all aspiring oil and gas engineers but workers in the oil and gas
industries face many risks and hazards, one of such risks is the risk of fire and explosion due to
ignition of flammable vapors or gases. The Martin County Sheriff's Office released a statement
saying that the crew members were working on an Excel pulling unit when they encountered an
unexpected gas pocket of high pressure. Investigators have mentioned that they believe that a
spark ignited the gas, causing the explosion. This oil field accident is not the first to occur that
year in the state of Texas, the authorities added. The first one took place around the first weeks in
the beginning of the year but in that case they were fortunate as the victim had survived,
according to reports.

Battery tanks and other pressure based equipment require special handling preferably by
someone who has a lot more experience. Gas or liquids under pressure can be dangerous and
often tricky to handle for someone who is inexperienced, and the vessels themselves are liable to
some problems. It should also be known that many unexpected things can occur such as a gas
pocket and more experienced engineers are more likely to be able to handle such situations as
they may have encountered it before. Understanding all the different parts of pressurized
equipment and how they work, and how they work within the larger pumping system, is essential
to avoid such problems.

Martin County Sheriff, John Woodward said that the men, who worked for Texas-based
company, Basic Energy Services, were at the well site in a support capacity and didn't know
(were not aware), were not informed or could have been not keeping an eye on and monitoring
levels that could have shown that the gas was filling the air. Flammable gases, such as well
gases, vapors, and hydrogen sulfide, can be released from wells, trucks, production equipment or
surface equipment such as tanks and shale shakers. Woodward also added that a fireball erupted
and burned the pair after the gas was sucked into the engine intake of a vehicle running at the
scene near the scene. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have noted
that ignition sources can include static, electrical energy sources, open flames, lightning,

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cigarettes, cutting and welding tools, hot surfaces, and frictional heat so there was some part of
negligence from the company that may have caused them to overlook safe work practices at the
site.

The impact of oil and gas incidents to environmental society

The oil and gas industry definitely has shown that it poses a threat to the environment,
it’s impact can be seen through many forms such as air, water and soil pollution and
consequently affects all living beings on our planet. Pollution is unavoidable as most oil and gas
field processes throughout all the stage from production and exploration and also to refining are
all producing some form of pollution. Waste water, solid waste, aerosols (greenhouse) and toxic
gas emissions are all generated during drilling, production, refining processes as well as
transportation and they all play a part in adversely affecting the environment.

Following this topic, the adverse environmental impacts include problems such as the
increasing greenhouse effect where the ozone layer has been affected. It is to be noted that the
depletion of the ozone layer also causes the earth’s temperature and consequently causing harm
to the environment. Acid rain, reduction in water quality, possible groundwater contamination is
among other negative environmental impacts. The oil and gas industry has also contributed to
biodiversity loss at sites such as offshore underwater ecosystems. For example, oil refineries
offshore are causing high rates of pollution and releasing it into the environment while
consuming large amounts of energy and water, which in turn produces large quantities of
wastewater and to add to that are generating solid waste that are difficult to treat or dispose of.

Most potential environmental impacts related to oil and gas industry activities are already
well documented. It is still necessary to find ways to conciliate industry development with
environmental protection, that is, with sustainable development.

Mitigation measures
The control and mitigation measures a certain company is planning to implement should
be consistent with the findings obtained during risk assessment and appropriate to the nature of
the task or operation assigned and related to the job scope. Employers can make sure that
employees are well equipped from a health and safety aspect. It can be quite challenging for

19
employees to avoid injuries and accidents if the organization doesn’t provide them with the
necessary tools needed to stay safe and healthy. This is particularly true in industries such as oil
and gas, where simple steps such as requiring personal protective equipment (PPE) and
providing first-aid supplies can significantly reduce everyday hazards. Employers and companies
should also understand and recognize that PPE has its limitations and correct usage of PPE does
not necessarily mean hazards are eliminated, it only helps reduce exposure or severity of
injuries/illnesses.

One of the foremost importance regarding any fire and explosion risk assessment is to
identify related substances that may or may not be flammable that are used in a company. These
could be flammable liquids, gases, aerosols, solids, dusts, substances that can develop
spontaneous ignition such as cloth materials, explosives, etc. It is imperative that we can identify
and label whether there are any working processes that may release any of the above mentioned
substances (e.g. dusts, mixture of chemicals) and pose a risk of a fire or explosion. Even after
identification, the job is not done yet as for all the identified substances all relevant parameters
for example like flash points, vapour pressure should also be established clearly.

Whenever possible, measures for appropriate safe work practice should also take design
into account whereby they identify and eliminate hazards during the design phase of new
facilities or processes. Addressing health and safety risks at the front end can help save
significant time and money and most importantly— avoid unnecessary injuries and keep
employees safe. Even simple engineering controls, such as more sturdy guardrails and floor
made of slip-proof materials where needed, can go a long way towards safe work practices in a
workplace. Although these steps can cost some money upfront, safety of the employees should
not be compromised over cost as lives are definitely more important than cutting corners due to
money.

A company’s safety and health policies should be clearly communicated to all staff and
crew members. This can be a move to instill safe work environment practices to all employees
from the time they start working in the field. Companies and employers have to make sure that
every employee is familiar with workplace safety policy and the risks that come with a job in the
oil and gas industry and how it pertains to his/her specific job scope. Regular training sessions

20
should also be conducted so that the information is fresh in everyone’s minds, and as mentioned
to ensure even new employees are brought up to speed right away.

The rules and laws of professional responsibilities in oil and gas industry
Responsibility usually means someone who is expected to achieve or maintain a result, as
they have acquired the necessary knowledge to do so. An engineer is expected to behave and
conduct him/herself in a professional manner at all times and to behave in a right and proper
manner to their employing company, to satisfy both our own morals and the employment
contract.

Yes, as an engineer in the oil and gas industry, many pursue the knowledge and go on to
get jobs to earn money, as this is one of the highest paying industries but are these profits should
be gained in line with a person's moral values and ethics. Climate change is caused by burning
fossil fuels, it is a fact and cannot be disputed that big amounts of exploitation of natural
resources occurs all over the oil and gas industry and engineers play a part in this. Engineers
working in the oil and gas industry field must recognize that fossil fuels help create global
warming as a result, they must be confident that their profession and companies understand this
effect and are contributing to its mitigation. More on this is that oil and gas is often obtained
from countries with poor human-rights, environmental and socio-economic records. Engineers
may work in countries that have major social and political problems, some of these countries are
oil rich but their average salaries might be USD 1 or even lower in some instances. These
controversies raise ethical issues for someone working in the oil and gas industry.

As a result engineers have to understand the rules and laws of responsibilities in the oil
and gas industry. They are to use their knowledge and skill for the enhancement of human
welfare, in line with this, engineers should prioritize the safety, health and welfare of the public.
They can do this by being honest, impartial, and serve with allegiance to the public, their
employers and clients. Engineers should also be striving to increase the competence and prestige
of the engineering profession. These in turn make way for more responsibilities entrusted to an
engineer like an engineer shall only perform services in areas of their competence and expertise.
Furthermore, engineers should be truthful as one of their responsibilities include that they should
only issue public statements if it’s in an objective and truthful manner. As an engineer working

21
in the oil and gas business, one must consider the responsibilities above and be convinced that
the oil and gas industry and the company they work for, contribute to the welfare of the people it
affects and serves.

AKMUHAMMET MAMMETJANOV

SANTA BARBARA CHANNEL OIL

SPILL
MAY 19, 2019.

22
 1. Describe the accident and hazard present in that accident

On May 19, 2015, “Plains All American” company’s crude oil pipeline Line 901
in Santa Barbara County, California, got ruptured, as a consequence crude oil released in the
region of 2,934 barrels (bbl). Approximately 500 barrels of crude oil spilled to the Pacific
Ocean. Line 901 of “Plains” is a 24-inch diameter below ground, isolated pipeline 18km long
and transfers heated heavy crude oil from Exxon Mobil’s depot tanks in Las Flores Canyon to
Gaviota Pumping station. According to the investigation report of “The Pipeline and
Hazardous Material Safety Administration” (PHMSA) pipe ruptures owing to expansive
external corrosion of pipe and starts leaking for an unknown period of time. Line 901 was
functioning for 28-years and was not equipped with automatic shut-off valve. Therefore, 21 st
May, 2015 PHMSA released a Corrective Action Order (CAO), which demand from the
operator to stop the line 901.

Figure 1. Refugio oil spill close to the Refugio Beach park and campground in Santa Barbara
County
No casualty or injuries take place as a consequence of the fracture and release. However,
the oil spill led to significant harm to natural habitats and environment around the pipeline.
Massive amount of animals as well as coastline were covered with heavy crude oil. Parks and
Beaches situated close to the coastline were temporarily closed. It was the second biggest
environmental damage that happened in California after the oil spill in 1969. There were 100,000

23
 barrels of crude oil were released and spilled to the ocean as a result of blowout in the Platform
A - Dos Cuadras Offshore Oil field.
The inspection discovered four zones with “pipe abnormalities” and three of them were
expansive corrosion on the outward of the pipe according to the reports of PHMSA. The main
cause of the accident was the external corrosion which thinned the pipe wall to a condition where
it fractured and released heavy crude oil. As stated in investigation report of PHMSA, there are
several related causes of the fracture, such as:
Related causes:
1) Inefficient care of external corrosion of the pipeline
The state of pipeline’s coating and isolating system encouraged the environment that resulted to the
external corrosion.
Cathodic Protection (CP) system of the was not efficient in averting corrosion from happening
underneath the pipeline’s isolation and coating system. Cathodic Protection (CP) system is a method
that applied to manage the corrosion of a metal exterior by contributing with electrons from outer
source, forming a cathode.
2) Ineffective by “Plains” to identify and lessen the corrosion
In-line inspection (ILI) is an equipment proposed to obtain the most precise data on pipeline condition
and corrosion. Regarding to the “Plains” In-line inspection reports from years 2007 and 2012 there
were several corrosion abnormalities. However, “Plains” did not execute any actions towards that
matter.
3) Absence in well-timed detection and reaction to the rupture
The pipeline’s “Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition” (SCADA) system was not maintained with
suited numbers of safety-associated alarms to warn the control room personnel, to the leakage at that
point.
Control room personnel did not notice the unusual state of pipeline as the leakage was already
occurring. Which led into delayed shutdown of the pipeline 901.
The pipeline control personnel resumed the Line 901 even though leakage was already occurring.
Control room personnel training was not sufficient and did not satisfy the requirements, as well as
emergency shut-off of the pipeline and release recognition system functions such as danger signals.
Outcome of the oil spill were moreover provoked by the oil spill response plan (OSRP) which did not
recognise the release. As a result, oil was leaking for a long period and was not shut down until it was
late to avoid the environmental damage.

24
Figure 2. a) Release location on the pipe and location of abnormality discovered in 2012 during
In-line inspection. b) size of the rupture occurred.
The impact of oil and gas incidents to environmental society
As it was
mentioned above Dead vs Rescued of marine mammals and
2,934 barrels of birds on 19,May 2015 Oil Spill, Santa Barbara
crude oil were Channel, CA.
released from the 250
Line 901, which
rapidly damaged 200 202
the shoreline of
150
the Pacific Ocean
and the Santa 100
99
Barbara channel.
The Oil spill 50 63 65

reached 250 0
miles to the Mammals Birds
ocean, and then Dead Rescued
spread closely
150 miles by the
California coast. The release was the reason of termination of two famous State Parks, long
distance of public beaches and approximately 135 square miles of fishing zones. Over 350
animals and birds were killed, and numerous numbers were injured due to the oil spill and
toxicity. However, these numbers are confirmed as experts are claiming that it was more than
450.

Diagram 1. dead vs rescued of marine mammals and birds

According to the statistics obtained by experts in November 2015, there were confirmed
amount of 99 mammals and 202 bird species were found dead. Other than that, 63 live-mammals
and 65 live-birds were rescued. Marine analyst mentioned that marine mammals and birds get
the all attention, though minor organisms also got affected by the oil spill and received huge
damage. Such as, mussels, barnacles and shellfish which live near the coast could not react to the
oil spill as a result they encountered 90 % mortality. Recovery of their population generally take
decades.
In conclusion, Oil and Gas production incidents has a huge impact on environmental damage
and pollution. Alongside with oil spills, there are more incidents occur in oil and gas industry,
such as explosions, chemical substances release. These incidents mostly affect important factors
of the environment such as:
1. Explosions and Fire damage wildlife habitats.

25
 Loud noises, fire and exposure to the fire has taken many wildlife habitats lives and demolish
their homes.

2. Oil spills are deadly for animals

Enormous amount of oil spills most of the time kill the wildlife animals and feed them
with toxicity. As a consequence, animals and organisms affected by the oil spills usually take
years to recover. Oil spills usually occur in Offshore Oil and Gas platforms as a result of
spilling or splashing the oil-based fluids, also called “mud, instead of being seizing it in lined
pits for discarding. Other ways of oil spill occurring is accidents, rupture, explosions on the
pipeline or drilling sites.
3. Soil erosion
It has been proven that Exploration and Production (E&P) has a massive impact on soil
erosion. There are some sources affect the soil erosion such as: Vibrations during
constructions, polluting as a result of spills and leakage. These facts affect the formation of
the soil and causes erosion. As a consequence, it increases the habitat damage and reduces
the sustainability of food chain for wildlife.
Mitigation measures
It is not possible to foresee all the damage and hazards present at the Oil and Gas Production site.
However, there are some crucially important specific mitigation measures that can be done by
the personnel to keep the working site safe and away from hazard and risks. These are some
control measures which must be followed:
 Working environment and Equipment – the one must ensure that lightings and visibility
of the working site is good and all the markings and signs are understandable. To prevent
the slips and falls, assure to keep the workplace washed. Use of each and every vehicle at
the workplace must comply terms and conditions legislated in the directive 2009/104/EC.

 Training of personnel– ensure that personnel are capable to execute the labour appointed
for them, as well as, they are completely acknowledged with hazardous substances and
their risks. Workers must have a proper knowledge and information in order to avoid the
any kind of possible accidents and injuries at the workplace.

 Personal Protective Equipment – it is a must for an oil and gas engineer to fulfil the
Personal protective equipment (PPE) rules and regulations while they are at the working
site.

 Constant Monitoring and Inspections – constantly monitoring and inspecting all the
equipments, vehicles, vessels as well as pipeline’s condition and their durability is also
one of the main factors of mitigation measure to prevent the accidents.

26
  Shortcuts – employee and personnel must avoid taking shortcuts and ensure that all
instructions of the procedure are clear, also organized. This will help to prevent
unnecessary catastrophes.
 Keeping track of safety measures – following the initial training, uphold safety control
measures at every occasion. For instance, crew meetings, observation of performance and
education.

The rules and laws of professional responsibilities in oil and gas industry
Engineering is a main and leading profession. Engineers are demanded to present high-level
standards of righteousness and morality. Engineers shall perform under a accepted laws and rules
of professional behaviour that demand adherence to the main principles of ethical conduct.
There are some rules and laws of fundamental professional responsibilities and duties which
every Oil and Gas engineer must follow. Such as:
I. Professional duties:
1. Possess utmost safety, health and well-being of public –
2. Carry out services only in accepted areas by the rules and regulations
3. For each employer and client try to act as trusted agent or executor.
4. Stay away from misleading actions
5. Behave decently, dependably, morally, and legitimately in order to improve the respect,
notoriety, and convenience of the profession.
II. Professional obligations
1. Engineers will be guided in the entirety of their relations by the best expectations of
trustworthiness and respectability
2. Engineers shall stay away from all lead or practice that tricks people in general.
3. Engineers will not uncover, without notice, private data concerning the business issues or
specialized processes of any present or previous customer or director, or public body on
which they work.
4. Engineers should not get affected during their professional responsibility by conflicting
interests which are unreliable.
5. Engineers shall not venture to attain occupation or employment promotion or
professional commitments by untruthfully denouncing other engineers, or by other
inappropriate or controversial strategies.
6. Engineers shall provide credit for engineering work to those to whom credit is due, and
shall understand the proprietary pursuits of others.
These are main rules and laws of professional responsibilities in oil and gas industry. Engineers
must make sure to comply the rules and regulations.

27
 KHALED AL JAAIDI

TANK EXPLOSION IN MIDLAND

RESOURCE RECOVERY
MAY 24, 2017

28
Describe the accident and hazard present in that accident
On May 24, 2017, a tank explosion happened at the Midland Resource Recovery (MRR) office
in Philippi, West Virginia, resulting in the deaths of two workers and critically harming one
worker. The CEO and chairman of the facility was one of the people who got affected by the
accident. The CSB started an examination of the accident and conveyed an insightful group on
May 28, 2017. While the CSB was exploring this accident, the MRR encountered an explosion
for the second time, on June 20, 2017. This blast lethally harmed a contractor assigned by
Specialized Professional Services, Inc. (SPSI). MRR had recruited SPSI to perform examination
and moderation work at its Philippi office following the May 24, 2017, blast.
The CSB established that the reasonable justification of these occurrences was receptive,
precarious chemicals that detonated when workers attempted to deplete the uncharacterized,
chemical fluid from petroleum gas odorizer gear. The CSB examination found that MRR did not
have a powerful safety management operation to recognize and maintain hazardous activities
from highly reactive and dangerous chemicals. In addition to other things, MRR had no
conventional risk ID process set up to examine or portray what synthetic substances were inside
the odorizer vessels—and in what amount—before decommissioning and synthetically treating
this gear with sodium hypochlorite. The organization likewise needed powerful protection
measures in order to protect themselves and the facility from future accidents.
Following these cataclysmic occurrences, MRR attests that it has quit utilizing responsive
chemical substances, including sodium hypochlorite, and the organization currently utilizes a
restrictive procedure to expel the mercaptan smell from decommissioned odorization gear.
In view of the discoveries from this occurrence, the CSB emphasizes proposals to the U.S. Word
related Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the U.S. Ecological Protection Agency
(EPA).

First explosion 24th May 2017:

In May 2017, after approximately one month of concoction treatment with the sodium
hypochlorite, MRR work force started depleting the rewarded MP odorizers. Splash paint
markings (Figure 8) and gear associations showed that three of the 16 rewarded MP odorizers
had been drained. On May 24, 2017, two laborers were allocated to deplete a portion of the
synthetically rewarded MP odorizers. While working, they were joined by the organization
proprietor, who was at the Philippi site on a standard visit. The organization proprietor built up
MRR's responsive synthetic treatment process and now and again, he prepared MRR experts and

29
participated in substance treatment activities. The MRR site supervisor told the CSB that during
the late morning, the two specialists and the organization proprietor were getting ready to deplete
one of the MP odorizers. MRR observation video shows that at 11:08 a.m., while the faculty
were taking a shot at the odorizer, the top tank of the MP odorizer viciously detonated, executing
one laborer and the organization proprietor, and seriously harming the other specialist.
MRR work force nearby told the CSB that the blast was one sharp and speedy clamour, and it
"seemed as though explosive." One observer felt the ground shake, and another felt the trailer he
was in rock. One observer assessed that blast garbage propelled 300 to 500 feet noticeable all
around. A few observers saw an earthy coloured fog noticeable all around, reliable with the
presence of the arrangement that was by and large inside the tanks after substance treatment (the
"procedure water"). None of the observers the CSB talked with saw any smoke or fire. One
observer said the zone resembled process water after the blast, and another said the region
possessed a scent like a match—the average smell when mercaptan fumes are being flared.
The CSB couldn't decide the specific activities of the three faculty paving the way to the blast in
light of the fact that there were no quick observers, and reconnaissance film couldn't be utilized
to decide their activities authoritatively. Figure 9 shows despite everything casings of the blast
from the reconnaissance film. Figure 10 and Figure 11 show the MP odorizer after the
occurrence. Figure 12 shows the variety in appearance of procedure water inside MRR's
substance treatment process. Figure 13 shows aluminium parts that were likely inside the centre
office of the MP odorizer. MRR gave the CSB records from 1964, indicating that Peerless
utilized aluminium segments in the centre chamber as a component of the gas metering and
odorant conveyance framework.

Second explosion 20th June 2017

Among those from other state and government offices, CSB delegates were at the MRR Philippi,
West Virginia, office on June 20, 2017, to direct meetings identified with the examination of the
May 24, 2017, occurrence. Subsequent to showing up nearby, MRR counsel educated CSB
examiners that MRR intended to deplete the rest of the MP odorizers. MRR legitimate direction
had recruited Specialized Professional Services, Inc. A (SPSI) to lead this action.

Since SPSI was recruited legitimately by MRR lawful advice, MRR affirmed lawyer work item
over what SPSI had found out about the May 24, 2017, episode and over SPSI's exploration and
speculations on the reason for the accident. On this premise, MRR stated that CSB examiners
were not allowed to talk with SPSI representatives in regards to these particular subjects. One of
the CSB specialists disclosed to MRR lawful advice that the CSB had been exploring hazardous
science and had found out about the potential for methyl hypochlorite arrangement and its
history of being related with hypochlorite treatment blasts. The MRR lawyer transferred his
understanding that SPSI's hypothesis on what caused the May 24, 2017, blast was that it was not
identified with a hypochlorite response. He included that he trusted eventually to have the option
to impart SPSI's hypothesis to the CSB, however it couldn't occur around then.

Before beginning the MP odorizer depleting activity, SPSI's business improvement and
uncommon undertaking administrator, a previous DuPont worker with 30 years of crisis reaction

30
experience and around then a senator selected official on the West Virginia State Fire
Commission, led an instructions for MRR and office delegates. At the point when asked by a
delegate from a state organization for what valid reason SPSI figured this activity would be
sheltered – given that a comparative way to deal with depleting the MP odorizer had brought
about the May 24, 2017, blast – the SPSI administrator declared, "If our science is correct, this
will be fine."

Incapable to straightforwardly draw in SPSI about the wellbeing issues with respect to its
arrangement and lacking certainty that MRR or SPSI saw either the reason for the May 24, 2017
occurrence or the full scope of conceivable responsive science included, CSB specialists took
cover behind a transportation compartment situated behind a structure in excess of 150 feet from
the SPSI activity. SPSI first attempted to deplete a MP odorizer that SPSI staff accepted, in light
of not seeing fluid through the sight glass, didn't have any fluid in its subsequent chamber. In
other MP odorizers where SPSI had closed fluid was available, SPSI laborers could see "fluid
there, different shades of yellow fluid." SPSI had introduced an extra (new) valve and weight
measure into the channelling falling off the centre. SPSI had likewise put a rope on the current
valve on the channel, for use in opening the valve. To begin the depleting activity, SPSI's field
boss opened the valve utilizing the rope. The weight check showed zero weight in the MP
odorizer. SPSI's method called for stopping the activity if the weight measure demonstrated more
than 30 psig. Since no pressure was shown, the operation proceeded.

Cause and Effect:

THE US Chemical Safety Board (CSB) has discovered that an absence of hazardous proof
procedures added to the tank blasts that led to the death of three individuals at the Midland
Resource Recovery (MRR) office in West Virginia in 2017.

One of the administrations performed by MRR is the decommissioning of the tanks used to
include the odorants known as mercaptans to petroleum gas. The MRR procedure added sodium
hypochlorite to the odouriser vessels to expel the scent from the steel with the goal that it could
be rejected. The vessels were fixed for a period, making what MRR alluded to as procedure
water. On 24 May 2017, when the procedure water was being depleted from a tank, a blast
happened which slaughtered two laborers, one of whom was the author and President of MRR.
Another labourer was genuinely harmed. A subsequent blast happened on 20 June which
murdered a temporary worker who had been employed by MRR to perform examination and
relief work.

After the underlying blast, CSB started an examination which found that it was conceivable that
methanol was additionally present in the MRR tanks as it was in some cases used to wash tanks.
The CSB likewise discovered examination which recommended that the methanol blended in
with sodium hypochlorite can shape methyl hypochlorite, a profoundly dangerous concoction.
The last report expresses that the MRR procedure had made the likelihood that each artificially
rewarded odouriser was basically a bomb.

MRR's lawful direction had recruited temporary worker Specialized Professional Services (SPSI)
to deplete the rest of the tanks. The CSB was not permitted to convey its discoveries to SPSI and
a MRR lawyer said SPSI had an alternate hypothesis with regards to the reason for the first blast.

31
The CSB examiners on location took cover behind a delivery holder. When SPSI endeavoured to
deplete a tank on 20 June, a blast happened which executed the SPSI field manager.

Mitigation:

Midland Resources Recovery's Philippi site in Barbour County is booking a progression of

unstable impacting as a vessel control and alleviation venture following blast occurrences early
this year.

The first of two blasts occurred on May 24 when a tank which was experiencing cleaning
combusted, another occurrence followed on June 20. The two occurrences brought about
fatalities. Reports express various different tanks were accepted to be precarious. Pushing ahead,
Midland's alleviation venture will render any potential dangers ok for laborers to come back to
the site.

Barbour County OEM Director Ron Skidmore says insurances are being taken to ensure
inhabitants and laborers are sheltered during the relief procedure. "During the impacting days
that they will be doing on the site, you can anticipate uproarious clamours in the general zone,
clearly from the blasts. They have thought of a generally excellent wellbeing plan, and they have
a security zone set up, and anyone that is influenced around there they have conversed with and
cleared," said Skidmore.

Sources state the impacts are planned to begin December 13 and are relied upon to proceed for
three to four days, assuming the rainclouds blow over. The street between Midland's transitory
tasks site on Barbour County Highway and Arden Road will be shut down during activities.
Midland is working intimately with neighbourhood, state, and government crisis help offices to
facilitate the on location exercises.

"Midland Resources and the gathering that they have recruited have been working with the state
offices, the area, and all the key partners to set up a security plan and ensure that everyone in the
network is sheltered," proceeded Skidmore. Law implementation and crisis teams will be striving
to keep the open educated regarding any subtleties relating to the procedure. Activities at
Midland are relied upon to start not long before Christmas.

Impact of Oil and Gas accidents to the environment:

Oil spills and leaks contaminate the environment whether it was on the ocean or the land,
animals die due to intoxications or explosions that causes fire in the forest to drive the animals
away and most likely burn in the fires. There will be accidents regardless of how cautious

32
companies can be because at the end of the day, we are humans and we make mistakes, but we
learn from them and turn these mistakes into a better outcome for the future

Rules and laws of professional responsibilities:

Quoted from the final report released regarding the accident, here are the safety rules that was
recommended to be followed:

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA):

Amend the Process Safety Management Standard (PSM), 29 CFR 1910.119, to achieve more
comprehensive control of reactive hazards that could have catastrophic consequences.

1- Broaden the application to cover reactive hazards resulting from process-specific

conditions and combinations of chemicals. Additionally, broaden coverage of hazards
from self-reactive chemicals. In expanding PSM coverage, use objective criteria.
Consider criteria such as the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), a
reactive hazard classification system (e.g., based on heat of reaction or toxic gas
evolution), incident history, or catastrophic potential.

2- In the compilation of process safety information, require that multiple sources of

information be sufficiently consulted to understand and control potential reactive hazards.
Useful sources include:
 -  Literature surveys (e.g., Bretherick's Handbook of Reactive Chemical Hazards,
Sax's Dangerous Properties of Industrial Materials).
 -  Information developed from computerized tools (e.g., ASTM's CHETAH,
NOAA's The Chemical Reactivity Worksheet).
 -  Chemical reactivity test data produced by employers or obtained from other
sources (e.g., differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis,
accelerating rate calorimetry).
 -  Relevant incident reports from the plant, the corporation, industry, and
government.
 -  Chemical Abstracts Service

3- Augment the process hazard analysis (PHA) element to explicitly require an evaluation of
reactive hazards. In revising this element, evaluate the need to consider relevant factors,
such as:
 -  Rate and quantity of heat or gas generated.
 -  Maximum operating temperature to avoid decomposition.
 -  Thermal stability of reactants, reaction mixtures, by-products, waste streams,
and products.

-  Effect of variables such as charging rates, catalyst addition, and possible contaminants.

33
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BRIDGENS, W.A.G, 1988. Refinery Emergency Planning, CONCAWE

Salvo, Christina & Stallworth, Leo (May 20, 2015).  "Gov. Brown declares state of emergency in
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PETROLEUM ENGINEERING – DOWNSTREAM - Environmental Impacts Of The Oil

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Petroleum Wastes: Current, New and Emerging Technologies, 1 ed. New Jersey, Noyes
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CONNELL, D. W., MILLER, G. J., 1984. Chemistry and Ecotoxicology of Pollution, New York,
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35