API Publishes New Safety Standard On Fire Risk Assessment & Reduction

API announced recently the publication of new industry guidelines for identifying and reducing the risk of injury from flash fires during the exploration and production phases of oil and natural gas development.

“Industry standards developed by API help our industry achieve its daily commitment to operate safely and responsibly,” said API Director of Standards David Miller. “Recommended Practice 99 will enhance safety by helping companies evaluate, identify and reduce risk to prevent accidents before they happen and mitigate and respond to incidents that do occur.”

API Recommended Practice 99, Flash Fire Risk Assessment for the Upstream Oil and Gas Industry, provides guidance on hazard identification and risk assessment exercises to assess and mitigate the risk of injury to personnel from exposure to a flash fire. Operations covered by this document include oil and natural gas production, drilling, well bore and well servicing operations, and gas processing prior to interstate pipeline transportation.

The API Standards Program is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the authority on U.S. standards. Every API standard is developed in an open process with public comment period by joint committees of representatives from government regulators, engineering companies, contractors, equipment manufacturers, and the oil and natural gas industry. More than 130 API standards have been incorporated in government regulations, and API undergoes regular third-party audits to ensure its program meets ANSI’s Essential Requirements for openness, balance, consensus and due process. Government-referenced and safety-related standards are freely available to review online at http://publications.api.org/.

API represents all segments of America’s oil and natural gas industry. Its more than 600 members produce, process, and distribute most of the nation’s energy. The industry also supports 9.8 million U.S. jobs and 8 percent of the U.S. economy.