Wells

Oil and gas wells connect offshore installations to the reservoirs below them. Blowout of hydrocarbons from wells is a major accident hazard for an installation or land borehole site, with the potential to result in major fire and explosion. For HSE's well engineering and operations teams, the main focus is for dutyholders to ensure the safe design and construction of oil and gas wells as well as the safe performance of drilling and well servicing operations.

Current issues include:

  • monitoring and maintaining of well lifecycle integrity.
  • arrangements for examination of well design and construction by independent and competent third parties.
  • arrangements for verification of well control safety critical equipment by independent and competent third parties.
  • arrangements for ensuring competence for safe working, in particular for complex well operations such as 'managed-pressure drilling'; or in high pressure high temperature wells.

HSE Inspection Guides

Wells Personal Competency Management System Inspection Guide (PDF) [40]

This guide sets out HSE's approach to the inspection of the management of competency of wells personnel engaged in oil or gas well operations either offshore on the UK Continental Shelf or onshore in Great Britain.

Inspection of Well Control (PDF) [41]

This guide is for use by HSE inspectors who are undertaking a basic inspection of arrangements for Well Control during drilling, testing, completion and other well intervention or maintenance/repair (work over) operations. It provides questions to ask key personnel involved with such operations. These questions are designed to sample key components that provide for effective well control.

Well Examination Scheme Inspection Guide (PDF) [42]

This guide sets out HSE's approach to the inspection of well operators' well examination arrangements for wells offshore on the United Kingdom Continental Shelf and onshore Great Britain.

Well Integrity (Operate Phase) (PDF) [43]

This guide sets out HSE's approach to the inspection of well operators' well integrity arrangements for the operate phase of a well lifecycle for wells onshore and offshore in Great Britain.

Information and guidance

  • Understanding onshore oil and gas wells notifications (PDF) [44]
    This guidance briefs  wells inspectors and administrative support staff of the line to take on queries about onshore well notifications and clarify common misunderstandings concerning notifications on the part of industry.
  • Understanding offshore oil and gas wells notifications (PDF) [45]
    This guidance briefs  wells inspectors and administrative support staff of the line to take on queries about offshore well notifications and clarify common misunderstandings concerning notifications on the part of industry.
  • Guidance on regulations and testing applicable to drawworks equipment (PDF) [46] (Offshore Information Sheet 14/2007)
    Guidance on the application of UK regulations to drawworks assemblies that incorporate either disc or band brakes as part of a drilling equipment package. Also covers details relating to the nomination and basic role of the competent person together with some advice on thorough examinations and testing of drawworks. Also featured in this sheet are some aspects of the knowledge and understanding with which all operators of drawworks equipment should be thoroughly familiar. The training section includes the response of personnel to emergency situations that might occur such as that associated with an uncontrolled load descent condition.
  • Interlocks for drill floor machinery[47]
    (Safety Notice 2/2006) There have been several serious incidents related to deficient interlocking on drilling machinery and pipe-handling equipment. This notice outlines the actions that should be taken to prevent such incidents.

Link URLs in this page

  1. Offshore oil and gashttps://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/index.htm
  2. How we workhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/how.htm
  3. Offshore health and safety lawhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/law.htm
  4. Workforce involvementhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/workinvolvement.htm
  5. Unconventional oil and gas exploration (shale gas)https://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/unconventional-gas.htm
  6. Overview - Offshore topicshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/topics.htm
  7. Accommodationhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/accommodation.htm
  8. Ageinghttps://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/ageing/index.htm
  9. Corrosion and materialshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/corrosion-and-materials.htm
  10. Offshore divinghttps://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/diving.htm
  11. Electrical and control systemshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/controlsystems.htm
  12. Evacuation, escape and rescue (EER)https://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/eer.htm
  13. Fire, explosion and risk assessmenthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/assessment.htm
  14. Human factorshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/humanfactors.htm
  15. International liaisonhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/liaison.htm
  16. Marine and aviationhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/marineaviation.htm
  17. Maritime integrityhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/maritimeintegrity.htm
  18. Mechanical engineeringhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/mechengineering.htm
  19. Occupational healthhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/occupationalhealth.htm
  20. Offshore pipelineshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/pipelines.htm
  21. Process integrityhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/processintegrity.htm
  22. Researchhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/offshoreresearch.htm
  23. Safety caseshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/safetycases.htm
  24. Safety management systemshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/managementsystems.htm
  25. Structural integrityhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/structuralintegrity.htm
  26. Verificationhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/verification.htm
  27. Wellshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/wells.htm
  28. Working timehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/workingtime.htm
  29. Overview - Resourceshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/resources.htm
  30. Overview - Publicationshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/publications.htm
  31. Operations noticeshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/notices/index.htm
  32. Safety alerts and noticeshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/notices/index.htm#safety-alerts
  33. Offshore information sheetshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/infosheets/index.htm
  34. Research reportshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/researchreports.htm
  35. Statisticshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/statistics/index.htm
  36. Offshore charging informationhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/charging.htm
  37. Key programme final reportshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/programmereports.htm
  38. Offshore Directivehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/directive.htm
  39. Subscribehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/ebulletin/index.htm
  40. Wells Personal Competency Management System Inspection Guidehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/assets/docs/ed-well-competence.pdf
  41. Inspection of Well Controlhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/assets/docs/ed-well-control.pdf
  42. Well Examination Scheme Inspection Guidehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/assets/docs/ed-well-examination.pdf
  43. Well Integrity (Operate Phase)https://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/assets/docs/ed-well-integrity.pdf
  44. Understanding onshore oil and gas wells notificationshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/foi/internalops/og/og-00094.pdf
  45. Understanding offshore oil and gas wells notificationshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/omar/assets/docs/understanding-offshore-oil-and-gas-wells-notifications.pdf
  46. Guidance on regulations and testing applicable to drawworks equipment https://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/assets/docs/is14-2007.pdf
  47. Interlocks for drill floor machineryhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/notices/sn_02_06.htm
  48. Guidance on regulations and testing applicable to drawworks equipmenthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/assets/docs/is14-2007.pdf
  49. Offshore Energies UKhttps://oeuk.org.uk/
Updated 2024-02-09