The American Petroleum Institute (API) issued a new recommended practice that revises recommended procedures to promote and maintain safe and healthy working conditions for personnel in drilling and well servicing operations. First published in 1981, the latest version of Recommended Practice 54 (RP 54) applies to rotary drilling rigs, well servicing rigs, and special services as they relate to operations on location, API said.

It noted that major revisions in RP 54’s latest edition include a section on flowback operations that is key for safe well testing, revised requirements for facility and site process hazard assessment and mitigation, and the introduction of formal risk assessments as well as expanded provisions for offshore operations.