A

Access map

map similar to a road map, showing how to get to (access) a site.

Area plan

for facilities and pipelines/pipeline tie-ins; very similar to site-specific plans but are for much more land and people, and are ongoing, rather than finite.

b

BC OGC

British Columbia Oil and Gas Commission.

C

CAPLA

Canadian Association of Petroleum Land Administrators.

CAPP

Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers.

Corporate plan

used for non-site-specific and sweet situations; designed to fit into a corporate safety program.

Critical sour well

a well that has been identified as having special considerations that require increased public safety measures and planning; a critical well is identified when it is close to large numbers of people or a potential exists for large quantities of H2S to be released into the atmosphere.

Critical well

a well that is 0.01 to 0.1 m3/sec and within 500 m of an urban centre; 0.1 to 0.3 m3/sec and within 1,500 m of an urban centre; 0.3 to 2 m3/sec and within 5 km of an urban centre; greater than 2 m3/sec is always critical.

D

D&C

Drilling and completions.

Directive

a government document providing regulations for industry.

E

EAZ

emergency awareness zone; area outside the EPZ that is scouted to identify locations of residences, roads, public facilities, and major industrial operations; used if the EPZ had to be expanded during an incident.

EnerFAQ

document produced by ERCB covering some frequently asked questions related to the oil and gas industry.

EPZ

emergency planning zone; a calculated area surrounding a wellsite, facility, or pipeline that identifies residents and public at greatest risk in the event of an emergency; based on worst case scenarios; determined using engineering calculations and statistical analysis about what is known about the area or operations and what area would need to be used to ensure public safety.

ERP

emergency response plan; a document designed to help evaluate risks, ensure preparedness, comply with government regulations, guide companies with safe operating procedures, facilitate professional development, demonstrate corporate due diligence, and do it such that the impact of an emergency to workers and the public and the environment is minimized.

ERCB

Energy Resources Conservation Board

F

Field handbook

include some excerpts from corporate plans for field staff; tend to be more general but do have specific contact numbers and forms that are particularly useful in emergencies.

Flaring

the controlled burning through a flare stack of natural gas at a well site or facility; the gas is ignited at the end of the stack.

G

Ground truthing

a process by which field staff visit the area on a map to make sure that what is rendered corresponds to what is actually there.

H

H2S

hydrogen sulfide.

I

Ignition

in an emergency situation, lighting a release on fire to burn the released gases into a less toxic form.

Incident

safety lingo for when something has gone wrong; sometimes called an accident.

Incineration

burning that occurs in a unit where waste gas is mixed with air at a controlled rate and ignited; there should be no flame visible from an incinerator.

M

Major exercise

on-the-ground exercise covering appropriate field and head-office response in a realistic emergency scenario.

N

NEB

National Energy Board (federal regulator).

O

O&G

Oil and gas.

P

Plume

in an emergency, the cloud of gas formed from the release.

R

Reception centre

private or public facility able to accommodate many people evacuated from an EPZ.

Regulatory compliance

following and abiding by the rules set up by government regulatory bodies (e.g. ERCB) in their regulations, directives, and guides.

Release rate

rate at which toxic gas (e.g. H2S) is being released into the atmosphere.

S

SIR

Saskatchewan Industry and Resources.

Site-specific plan

drilling and completion (DAC) plans and workover plans, which expire a year from their date of approval (although you can resubmit or request an extension); cover a very precise and smaller area, and come with a specific set of rules.

SO2

sulfur dioxide.

Sour gas

natural gas with H2S in it.

Surface development

occupied permanent or part-time dwelling, and publicly used facilities including campgrounds, trapper cabins, places of business, or any other surface development where the public may gather on a regular basis.

T

Tabletop exercise

exercise done indoors (not on the ground) covering appropriate field and head-office response in a realistic emergency scenario.

V

Venting  

the release of uncombusted natural gas to the atmosphere.