Health and Safety of Onshore oil Well drilling (Unayzah well in Saudi Research Paper

Health and Safety of Onshore oil Well drilling (Unayzah well in Saudi Arabia) - Research Paper Example Therefore, the following are the major safety and health guidelines that should be adhered to, to safeguard the lives of those people involved in the activity and reduce the adverse environmental impacts that this activity can causes. Travelling to the Site Travelling to the site entails all the safety details that concern the whole journey process. Thus, the major step to ensuring safety, is to ensure that the drivers taking the drilling team to the site are licensed by the relevant authorities (ERDSG, 2005 p31). Considering that different machineries have different driving characteristics, every driver should be well experienced in handling particular machinery. The new drivers should be inducted with the help of the experienced drivers (SISG, 1993 p32). All the workers should understand the dimensions of the machinery they are handling, including their speed limits, length, width and load capacity. Before making the main journey, a pre-trip test should be done to verify that all t he machineries are in good condition (ERDSG, 2005 33). Certification Requirements The drilling team should determine the required permits and certification by the relevant authority such as the local, state or the federal authorities. The team should prepare the necessary applications and submit the documents required by the authorities, which include excavation permits, work permits for the agency and the facility, as well as site permits (SRDWR, 2004 p25). The lead driller is then provided with the necessary permits to indicate that the drilling activity can commence (GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, 1976 p32). Having obtained the certifications and permits, the lead driller or the acting leader should verify that every aspect of drilling process has been approved to enhance the legal backing of the drilling procedure. Having obtained the certifications, the led driller can mobilize the team for the purpose of fencing off the facility where drilling is to be undertaken (SRDWR, 2004 p33). Person al Protective Equipments All the employees contracted for the purpose of the drilling activity should wear personal protective equipments (GWD, 6). The employees should wear hard hats and steel toed boots at all times they are operating on the work site. Workers should also wear reflective clothing, safety glasses or welding lids at all times, depending on the section in which they are operating (GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, 1976 p36). While the safety glasses protect the eyes of the workers, the reflective clothing ensures that all workers are visible on the worksite. Workers should always wear hand gloves for protecting their hands, while also ensuring to wear hearing protection (SISG, 1993 p44). This serves to protect the employees from hand or hearing damage. Additionally, when the workers are operating grinders, they should wear a full face shield on top of the safety glasses, to ensure that they are fully covered against eye and face damage (GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, 1976 p30). Fire Risk Fire risk is the most eminent thing in an oil well drilling site. Therefore, reasonable measures should be undertaken to mitigate this risk. The work site where welding, cutting or grinding is involved should be equipped with sufficient ABC types of fire extinguishers (GWD, 3). The fire extinguishers should be assessed and tested for proper functionality and operability before working on the site commences.