Aramco Construction Safety Manual
Abstract Saudi Aramco's vision is to be the recognized industry leader in safety, and as such the company has applied high safety standards governing any well intervention work in all types of wells throughout its history. Moreover, detailed Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and Operating Instruction Manuals (OIM) for all well intervention operations are regularly used to ensure safety and best operating practices are consistently applied. These standards and operating procedures are continuously reviewed and revised as needed. This paper discusses the most salient safety and operating standards regularly applied in Southern Area well intervention operations, which has helped Saudi Aramco accumulate a stellar record of successfully and safely completing a very large number of well intervention jobs. The paper also provides case histories of challenging procedures in which the strict application of existing procedures and standards resulted in a positive and successful outcome.
Saudi Aramco Construction Safety Manual
Introduction Saudi Aramco's policy is to conduct its business in a manner that prevents incidents or accidents capable of causing loss of life, bodily injury or illness, or damage to property, assets or the environment. As reflected in its Corporate Values, the Company will continuously maintain the highest standards of safety, security, health and environmental protection. Thus, strict guidelines have been developed and are consistently applied to ensure that the company policy is adhered to at all times under any circumstances. Critical well intervention operations with slickline, e-line, coiled tubing and a wide variety of tools in oil, water and gas wells are executed under well established safety and operating standards and procedures, which are continuously revised and updated to incorporate lessons learned, and new industry practices. The use and strict application of these practices have helped Saudi Aramco achieve an impressive track record of safe well intervention operations in complex wells and under challenging conditions.
Three case histories are used to illustrate the type of well interventions performed in oil, water and gas wells, in which standard operating procedures, safety guidelines, and operating instruction manuals were followed. Safety Standards The following are key components of the company's mandatory safety policies and practices that are consistently applied in Southern Area well intervention operations. Corporate Safety Management System (SMS): A key component of the company's continuous focus on safety is the Corporate Safety Management System (SMS), which is a manual that defines a broad set of expectations that stresses proactive approaches to managing safety in 11 elements. Each department is then responsible for using the 11 elements to develop and implement his organization's own safety management system, designed to address its specific areas of operation, thus making each organization fully engaged in implementing company policy and fulfilling its vision.