R 408.15717 Wells containing hydrogen sulfide.
Rule 5717. (1) Drilling and servicing of wells shall be as prescribed in the American
Petroleum institute document, RP49, reissued 1975, Recommended Practices for Safe
Drilling of Wells Containing Hydrogen Sulfide. This document is incorporated herein by
reference. The API document may be inspected at the Department of Licensing and
Regulatory Affairs, MIOSHA Standards Section, 7150 Harris Drive, P.O. Box 30643,
Lansing, Michigan, 48909-8143. This information may be purchased at a cost of $125.00
from IHS Global, 15 Inverness Way East, Englewood, Colorado, 80112, USA, telephone
(2) Where hydrogen sulfide or any other unusually hazardous gas is known or suspected
to exist, the employer shall advise the employees of the possible exposure involved and
shall provide training and personal protective equipment as required in Rule 5711 of this
part.
(3) Where it is not necessary to maintain a cellar on wells producing hydrogen sulfide,
the cellar shall be filled to eliminate the hazard of accumulation of hydrogen sulfide gas.
History: 1979 AC; 2013 AACS.
R 408.15718 Rig access; ladders, stairways, ramps, platforms, and elevators.
Rule 5718. (1) A rig must be equipped with stairs, ladders, or ramps. An employee
shall not jump from one level to another.
(2) A fixed ladder, stair, ramp, or platform must be constructed and maintained in
compliance with General Industry Safety and Health Standard Part 2. “Walking-Working
Surfaces,” being R 408.10201 to R 408.10241 of the Michigan Administrative Code.
Where structural crosspiece of a rig does not allow the required horizontal clearance
prescribed in General Industry Safety and Health Standard Part 2. “Walking-Working
Surfaces,” the clearance may be reduced to not less than 4 inches.
(3) A derrick and mast must be equipped with a fixed ladder providing access from
the rig floor to the crown block platform and to each intermediate platform on the
structure.
(4) A minimum of 2 escape routes must be available to provide alternate exits from
the rig floor to ground level when the rig floor height is 6 feet or more.
(5) When a working platform is in the folded or storage position, the platform must
be secured with not less than 2 fasteners of a type that will not vibrate loose or come
loose accidentally. Clevis hooks, safety hooks, or other equivalent devices must be used
for this purpose.
(6) When an employee cannot perform necessary duties on a well servicing rig from
ground level, a working platform must be used around the wellhead. The platform must
be of sufficient size and so constructed to allow 2 men to work from it.
(7) Each finger of a finger board must be bolted, welded, hinged and pinned, or
attached by other equivalent means to its support beam.
(8) When climbing a rig ladder, tools or other materials must be properly secured to
the employee so that the hands of the employee are free for climbing.
(9) An employee engaged in a well servicing or drilling operation may ride an
elevator, sometimes called a traveling block, if both of the following provisions are
satisfied:
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