Ohio Administrative Code › Title 1501:9 - Division of Mineral Resources Management - Oil and Gas › Chapter 1501:9-9 - Safety Regulations › Section 1501:9-9-03 - Drilling and deepening operations

Current through all regulations passed and filed through July 1, 2024
(A) No fires are permitted within fifty feet
			 of a drilling well when oil and/or gas are exposed to the atmosphere at the
			 well, unless the oil or gas is properly vented or controlled.
(B) A chemical fire extinguisher in good
			 working condition 
								has to be on location of a drilling well at all
			 times.
(C) When drilling with cable
			 tools, a valve in good working condition of sufficient size and working
			 pressure to control normal hydrostatic pressure for the deepest pool to be
			 penetrated 
								has
			 to be installed on the casing through which drilling is proceeding when
			 drilling within two hundred feet of an inhabited structure or when drilling in
			 urbanized areas unless the chief finds that a blow-out preventor (BOP) is not
			 needed. The 
								provisions set forth in
								 paragraph (C) of rule
			 1501:9-9-03 of the
			 Administrative Code 
								will be considered fulfilled if sufficient fluid
			 is contained in the borehole which is calculated to be one and one-half times
			 the normal hydrostatic pressure for the deepest pool penetrated.
(D) When drilling with rotary tools and using
			 a liquid as a drilling medium, a BOP in good working condition of sufficient
			 size and working pressure rating to control normal hydrostatic pressure for the
			 deepest pool to be penetrated 
								has to be installed on the casing through which
			 drilling is being performed when drilling within two hundred feet of an
			 inhabited structure or when drilling in urbanized areas, unless the chief finds
			 that a BOP is not needed. Blow-out preventors 
								have to be
			 capable of closing off the annulus between casing and drill pipe as well as
			 completely closing off the casing when drill pipe is not in the hole. Blow-out
			 preventor systems 
								have to  include a device which will permit
			 bleed-off of hydrostatic pressure. Upon request of the chief or his inspectors,
			 the owner, contractor or person or organization in control of a well
			 
								has to
			 demonstrate that the BOP is in good working condition. In addition, the chief
			 may 
								direct
			 a person to use a blow-out preventor in other cases when he deems it
			 necessary.
(E) When drilling with
			 rotary tools using air or other gaseous material as a drilling medium, a
			 rotating air-head in good working condition with stripper rubbers of proper
			 size and sufficient working pressure rating to control normal hydrostatic
			 pressure for the deepest pool penetrated 
								has to be
			 installed on the surface casing. Upon request of the chief or his inspectors,
			 the owner, contractor or person or organization in control of a well
			 
								has to
			 demonstrate that the air-head and stripper rubber are in good working
			 condition. The discharge line from the annulus between the casing and drill
			 pipe 
								has
			 to be vented not less than sixty feet from the well into a pit of
			 sufficient size to contain drill cuttings, foam, produced water, oil and/or
			 casing-head gas.
If drilling with air or other gaseous material as the drilling
				medium within two hundred feet of an inhabited structure, a
				 BOP
				in good working condition of sufficient size and working pressure rating to
				control normal hydrostatic pressure for the deepest pool to be penetrated
				
									has to
				be installed on the casing through which drilling operations are being
				performed beneath the rotating air-head or when drilling in urbanized areas,
				unless the chief finds that a BOP is not needed. Blow- out preventors
				
									have to
				be capable of closing off the annulus between the casing and drill pipe as well
				as completely closing off the casing when drill pipe is not in the holes.
				Blow-out preventor systems 
									have to include a device which will permit
				bleed-off of hydrostatic pressure. Upon request of the chief or his inspectors,
				the owner, contractor or person or organization in control of the well
				
									has to 
				demonstrate that the BOP is in good working condition. In addition, the chief
				may 
									direct
				a person to use a BOP in other cases when he deems it necessary.
In urbanized areas, the division inspector or supervisor shall
				
									has to
				have direct notification of the BOP test no less than twenty-four hours
				in advance. The inspector or division representative may waive witnessing the
				BOP test.
(F) A pit or pits
			 of sufficient size and shape 
								has to be constructed adjacent to each drilling
			 well to contain all the drilling muds, cuttings, salt water and oil flowed into
			 same. No oil or salt water will be permitted to overflow the pit.
(G) No oil, water or gas from a drill stem
			 test will be permitted to flow uncontrolled.
(H) During drilling in an urbanized area a
			 temporary fence no less than three feet in height 
								will be placed
			 to restrict access to the drilling location. The fence
			 
								will
			 have "Danger Stay Out" (or similar) posting at no less than one hundred fifty
			 foot intervals along the outside of the fence. All access to the rig,
			 associated drilling equipment and pits 
								has to be restricted. The temporary fence
			 
								will be
			 maintained until the drilling pits have been removed.
(I) Drilling, well servicing and well site
			 maintenance operations in urbanized areas 
								will be
			 conducted in a manner to mitigate noise, including the reasonable use of
			 screening and appropriate mufflers on drilling and servicing
			 equipment.
(J) In urbanized areas
			 where there is a known occurrence of shallow gas or H2S, drilling on air
			 
								is not
			  permitted
								and fluid drilling
			 
								will be
			 used.
			 During drilling, the state inspector 
								will direct a person to
			 use fluid drilling where
			 there is an imminent threat to safety of the rig crew and/or the
			 public.
(K) In urbanized areas
			 where flaring is expected, the permittee 
								will notify the
			 local emergency response officials that such may occur. It is recommended that
			 notice be provided if possible just prior to the expected flaring and/or
			 immediately upon flare ignition.
(L)
			 In urbanized areas, once total depth has been reached and the rig has been
			 removed from the drilling location, all drilling pits
			 
								will be
			 closed within thirty days or sooner if 
								instructed
			 by the chief.