03a-Simultaneous Operations Operational Procedure
03a-Simultaneous Operations Operational Procedure
Revised by:
Approved by:
Revisions
00 Original 13/12/2015
Procedure changes after feedback from Operational and HSE
01 18/12/2015
Departments
02 Radius of operations change 08/03/2016
HSE Management System
Simultaneous Operations - SIMOPS
Introduction
The contents and requirements of this Procedure shall ensure that any activity or work
performed within the WIAR operations, where joint activities may be on going
simultaneously, are reviewed and analyzed for potential interference and limitations.
Simultaneous Operations performed on the same well pad are likely to increase the level of
risk. The risk level enhancement is due to:
• The simultaneity between a “live well”, Production, Drilling, Well Servicing and
Construction activities, where the potentiality for the loss of safety barriers and for the
release of hydrocarbon to the atmosphere is enhanced
• The risk of potential interference such as rig moves, heavy lifting, land movement and oil
truck loading, among others.
• The proximity between several potential sources of hydrocarbon release and activities
loading to potential risk such as: H2S exposure, potential ignition, explosion among
others.
• The presence of personnel who might be unaware or misinformed of the risks inherent
to activities they are not familiar to.
This procedure shall ensure that nothing is done, during the performance of these tasks,
which could potentially prejudice the safety of personnel.
Purpose
This company procedure outlines general safety regulations for conducting simultaneously
Drilling, Production, Well Servicing and Construction activities.
It aims to decrease to risk associated to these operations to an acceptable minimum level
by:
Application
The provisions of this document apply to all Company, Contractor and Sub-Contractors
activities within WIAR installations and areas of operations.
General Requirements
• It is the intent of this procedure to establish guidelines for planning and coordination,
and to outline safety rules for use where SIMOPS are conducted.
• Prior to commencing SIMOPS, there will be a survey of the existing site or facility.
Revisions or modifications may be recommended. Requirements for shutting down work
in affected areas will be reviewed. These activities should involve each respective
department (drilling, construction, well servicing and production operations, etc.).
• All personnel shall understand the site Incident Management System and
responsibilities. Applicable Incident Management drills should be conducted as soon as
possible prior to commencing SIMOPS operations.
• A SIMOPS meeting shall occur at least once per shift.
• Additional meetings will be required if the original scope of work changes.
• The meetings shall be documented and contain the scope of work for each
SIMOPS activity, the person in charge of each operation and the approval of the SIMOPS
Leader.
• All identified roles shall have defined accountabilities.
• Competent personnel will be on duty and in attendance during SIMOPS
• Minimize the potential for personnel injury and equipment damage by:
• Controlling and restricting personnel access to areas where simultaneous activities may
be taking place.
• Providing specific instruction for securing (making safe) operations and mustering
personnel in case of emergency.
• Ensuring that all personnel involved in the simultaneous tasks are aware of the specifics
of simultaneous operations and emergency procedure.
• Identifying hazards and evaluating the consequence of failures.
HSE Management System
Simultaneous Operations - SIMOPS
Key Responsibilities
Project Manager
• Has the overall responsibility for enforcing this procedure
Simops Leader
• The SIMOPS Leader shall be present at the work site during the entire period when
simultaneous operations are being performed.
• Proper coordination and control is critical to the safe conduct of SIMOPS. The SIMOPS
Leader, will have complete authority to determine which operation or phase of the work
has precedence at any given time.
• The SIMOPS Leader will be responsible for confirming that all aspects of the SIMOPs plan
are fully implemented.
• The SIMOPS Leader will work with the Supervision of the involve parties (i.e. drilling,
construction, etc.) to understand each job scope prior to commencing SIMOPs. In the
event of an emergency, the party representative will have the support of the SIMOPS
LEADER to control any issue that may arise. If there is difficulty in maintaining control of
work, and the safety of personnel, environment and equipment is compromised, joint
communications shall occur with all parties to determine if operations should be shut
down.
• Proper communication must be established among all personnel involved in SIMOPS. A
communications system, such as intercom, or radios, shall be set up to facilitate
communication.
• The SIMOPS Leader shall communicate with responsible personnel from the operations
to discuss the expected activities at the commencement of work, at the beginning of
each shift, and at other times during the operation, as conditions require, and to resolve
any conflicts due to SIMOPS. The SIMOPS Leader must inform all involved parties of any
special problems that might be encountered and the appropriate actions to take if such
problems should occur.
• The SIMOPS Leader must verify that the necessary permit approvals and prescribed
precautions are in place prior to the commencement of work.
• The SIMOPS Leader ensures that all members of the operational team duly enforce the
requirements of this procedure. However the Drilling, Construction, Well Testing and
Production team leaders shall remain fully responsible for the safe management of their
own operations.
• In the event of any disagreement regarding the safety or schedule of a proposed
simultaneous operation or the continuation of an activity in progress, the matter should
be decided by the SIMOPS Leader and referred to the Project Manager for approval.
HSE Management System
Simultaneous Operations - SIMOPS
Site Authorities
In addition to the duties defined by the Permit to Work the site authorities (DSV, Production
and Construction Supervision) are responsible for:
• Evaluating the intended work, including worksite inspections to highlight any potential
implications.
• Evaluating any work with regard to possible implications outside their own areas of
responsibility and identifying these implications to the SIMOPS Leader.
• Identifying the requirements for any electrical and/or process mechanical isolation,
ensuring all necessary lock-out and tag-out requirements are in place.
• Ensures proper authorization, issue and cancellation of all PTW in their areas
• Ensures that all PTW are given to the SIMOPS Leader for their review.
• Planning, coordinating and authorizing all Naked Flame Permits.
Task Supervisors
The safety of SIMOPS operations is dependent to a great degree on the general
communication, coordination and cooperation between the Task Supervisors, Site
authorities and the SIMOPS leader.
In this respect, and in addition to the usual job preparation, Task Supervisors shall:
• Ensure that their works have been planned and that the Site authorities and SIMOPS
Leader have been informed of the schedule and any potential constraints and
interferences.
• Ensure the necessary permits to work are authorized and ready for display at the work
site.
• Deliver all PTW to the SIMOPS leader for their review.
• Confirm starting time and duration.
• Confirm evaluation of potential constraints and interference
• Check that their operation and emergency procedures comply with SIMOPS context and
to the current schedule of the planned activities.
• Ensure that necessary equipment and personnel are available, ready to commence work
to schedule and understand the nature of the SIMOPS activity.
HSE Management System
Simultaneous Operations - SIMOPS
During the SIMOPS activities, direct control of the works shall be maintained by:
Any SIMOPS activity shall be reviewed and scheduled to minimize any potential interference
or safety impact.
Information relevant to any SIMOPS activity, which has potential impact to the other
personnel working in the same area, shall be informed to all concerned personnel prior to
the commencement of the planned SIMOPS activity.
SIMOPS activities for which special safety precautions shall be subject to a risk evaluation
such as a Job Safety Analysis (JSA).
Urgent decisions regarding any SIMOPS shall fall under the responsibility of Project Manager
and the SIMOPS Leader, who, through joint agreement with the Site Authorities shall reach
conclusion as to which activity takes precedent.
SIMOPS Preparation
Prior to commencing SIMOPS the SIMOPS Leader and Site Authorities will meet with all
involved parties to verify the aspects of the operation, confirm emergency procedures and
identify any constraints and/or limitations and conflicting activities.
Once the planning of the operation is confirmed and the detailed program and/or
procedures approved, every effort shall be extended to mobilize equipment and personnel
to meet and achieve the schedule.
Methods of communication shall be clearly established between all work parties during the
planning of any SIMOPS activity.
HSE Management System
Simultaneous Operations - SIMOPS
All Site personnel, without exception, have an individual responsibility to ensure that any
SIMOPS activities are carried out correctly and efficiently. Such responsibilities are clearly
detailed within the Key Responsibilities section.
The primary and secondary activities to be performed in the field will be classified as
follows:
Radius of SIMOPS
The radius of operations for the simultaneous operations will be establish as follows:
• When two or more activities are being performed simultaneously within 30 meters of
the Primary Activity.
HSE Management System
Simultaneous Operations - SIMOPS
Meetings
Risk Matrix
All specific SIMOPS procedures shall include a risk matrix that shall include the main activities
to be performed by each party involved in the operations. This Matrix will include a color
coding system in which:
• Secondary Activities that are allowed without a specific risk analysis will be highlighted in
GREEN.
• Secondary Activities that are allowed but require a specific risk analysis and additional
precautions will be highlighted in YELLOW.
• Secondary Activities that are not allowed will be highlighted in RED.
Work Permits
The WIAR Work Permit is applicable for all SIMOPS activities that are highlighted in yellow in
The Risk Matrix, such Work Permit shall be signed by the SIMOPS Leader only.
Work Permits for all other jobs being performed on the work site that are issued either by the
responsible party of the primary or secondary activities, shall be presented to the SIMOPS
Leader for their review.
The objective of a Job Safety Analysis (J.S.A.) is to systematically review high risk or frequently
performed tasks to identify and mitigate safety hazards before the tasks commence. The
objective of the JSA is to analyze potential hazards associated with a specific task.
The JSA is a behavior tool used to identify and minimize risk associated with routine, non-
routine and high risk job tasks.
Job Safety Analysis is a structured approach for identifying potential hazards in a job and
devising corrective steps. Since it considers actions (behaviors) as well as physical and
environmental conditions, it is a good way to increase safety awareness and achieve
sustainable improvements in safety performance.
The extent of the SIMOPS works shall be evaluated using this method of hazard identification
and as a minimum the JSA shall address the following:
• Identification of the work area
• Review of the key steps of the work.
HSE Management System
Simultaneous Operations - SIMOPS
• Hazard identification.
• Permit to Work requirements.
• Lock out and tag out requirements.
• Crane operation requirements.
• Tools and equipment.
• PPE and any additional requirements for fall protection, special protective clothing, etc.
• Toolbox Meetings.
• Emergency response preparations
• Material handling and waste management plan (as required).
• Housekeeping.
The results of the JSA study will be incorporated into the work schedule and shall be endorsed
by the SIMOPS Leader, prior to commencing the SIMOPS activities.
Reporting
The SIMOPS leader shall send a Daily Reports of the Simultaneous operations that have been
Performed during the work period from 06:00 to 18:00 hrs. This report will also contain the
Lookahead of the Simultaneous operations that will take place in the next 12 hrs.
This report will be sent to the following:
• Project Manager
• Operations Manager
• Drilling & Completions Manager
• Completions Superintendent
• Drilling Superintendent
• HSE Manager
Personnel Control
A full time HSE supervisor shall be stationed in the restricted areas where SIMOPS
are being performed and shall maintain communication between the operations personnel.
Alarms shall be activated in the restricted areas in the case of an emergency.
HSE Management System
Simultaneous Operations - SIMOPS
Emergency Response
All emergency evacuations shall be carried out in accordance with the WIAR Emergency
Response Procedure.
In the event of any other emergencies (Fire, Explosion, Loss of Control in Well, etc.) the
Response procedure of the responsible of the primary activities being carried out shall
prevail.
Whenever mustering of personnel is required, all shall muster on the predefined muster
areas.
The following supporting groups are available at site on twenty-four hours basis and shall
fully support any SIMOPS activity as required.
Fire and rescue facilities shall be established in designated fire station. In the event of an
emergency, the fire and rescue team shall take immediate action to secure the area and
commence preparations for control of the situation.
• Site Clinic
The site clinic shall be staffed on twenty four hours basis. The clinic shall be manned with
Doctors, paramedics and ambulance drivers. Adequate ambulances shall be available on site
The vehicles must be fully equipped with emergency response equipment and shall fully
support the fire and rescue teams, as required.