Glossary
Browse the IADC Lexicon alphabetically or by category. Get comprehensive definitions of drilling industry terms.
Low-location lighting (LLL)
Definition(s)
Low-location lighting (LLL)
Electrically powered lighting or photoluminescent indicators placed at points of the escape route to readily identify all routes of escape. Source: Resolution A.752(18), Guidelines for the evaluation, testing and application of low-location lighting on passenger ships, 4 November 1993, International Maritime Organization. Regulatory GuidanceDMAC
Definition(s)
DMAC
Diving Medical Advisory Committee. Source: Commercial Diving Projects Offshore, Diving at Work Regulations 1997, Approved Code of Practice (UK HSE L103), First Edition, 1998. Regulatory GuidanceDVIS
Definition(s)
DVIS
Diving Information Sheet. Source: Commercial Diving Projects Offshore, Diving at Work Regulations 1997, Approved Code of Practice (UK HSE L103), First Edition, 1998. Regulatory GuidanceDCI
Definition(s)
DCI
Decompression illness. Source: Commercial Diving Projects Offshore, Diving at Work Regulations 1997, Approved Code of Practice (UK HSE L103), First Edition, 1998. Regulatory GuidanceAODC
Definition(s)
AODC
Association of Offshore Diving Contractors (Superseded by ADC and IMCA from 1 April 1995). Source: Commercial Diving Projects Offshore, Diving at Work Regulations 1997, Approved Code of Practice (UK HSE L103), First Edition, 1998. Regulatory GuidanceSurface-Orientated Diving
Definition(s)
Surface-Orientated Diving
A diving technique in which the diver enters the water from the surface and then returns to the surface after completion of the dive, other than by means of a closed diving bell. Source: Commercial Diving Projects Offshore, Diving at Work Regulations 1997, Approved Code of Practice (UK HSE L103), First Edition, 1998. Regulatory GuidanceInternational Safety Management (ISM) Code
Definition(s)
International Safety Management (ISM) Code
International Safety Management (ISM) Code means the International Management Code for the Safe Operation of Ships and for Pollution Prevention as adopted by the Assembly, as may be amended by the Organization. Source: Resolution A.741(18), International Management Code for the Safe Operation of Ships and for Pollution Prevention (International Safety Management (ISM) Code), 4 November 1993, International Maritime Organization. Regulatory GuidanceInternational Safety Management (ISM) Code
International Safety Management (ISM) Code means the International Management Code for the Safe Operation of Ships and for Pollution Prevention as adopted by the Organization by resolution A.741(18), as amended. Source: IMO Resolution MSC.255(84), Code of the International Standards and Recommended Practices for a Safety Investigation into a Marine Casualty or Marine Incident (Casualty Investigation Code), 16 May 2008, International Maritime Organization. Regulatory GuidancePermit-To-Work System
Definition(s)
Permit-To-Work System
A formal written system used to control certain types of work which are identified as involving significant risk. Source: Commercial Diving Projects Offshore, Diving at Work Regulations 1997, Approved Code of Practice (UK HSE L103), First Edition, 1998. Regulatory GuidanceContinuous Saturation Diving Operations
Definition(s)
Continuous Saturation Diving Operations
Continuous saturation diving operations will exist when less than 8 hours separate the return to the living chambers of one team of divers and the departure from the living chamber of another team of divers. Source: Commercial Diving Projects Offshore, Diving at Work Regulations 1997, Approved Code of Practice (UK HSE L103), First Edition, 1998. Regulatory GuidanceAt Work
Definition(s)
At Work
The phrase ‘at work’ means as an employee or as a self-employed person. The phrase covers divers who dive as part of their duties as an employee and divers who are in business on their own account during the time that they devote themselves to work as a self-employed diver. Diving does not have to be the main work activity of the employee or the self-employed person. The Diving Regulations apply when at least one diver is at work. Source: Commercial Diving Projects Offshore, Diving at Work Regulations 1997, Approved Code of Practice (UK HSE L103), First Edition, 1998. Regulatory GuidanceAt Work
Regulation 4 makes it clear that where OFAR apply, the meaning of ‘at work’ covers workers at all times while they are offshore, both on-duty and off-duty. Source: Health Care and First Aid on Offshore Installations and Pipeline Works, Offshore Installations and Pipeline Works (First-Aid) Regulations 1989, Approved Code of Practice and Guidance (UK HSE L123), Second Edition, 2000. Regulatory GuidanceAt Work
In relation to any person means present, for gain or reward, in the person’s place of work. Source: Guidelines for Occupational Diving 2004, Occupational Safety and Health Service, New Zealand, updated October 2010. Regulatory GuidanceAt Work
At work, in relation to any person, means present, for gain or reward, in the person’s place of work. Source: Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992, Public Act 1992 No 96, New Zealand, as of 1 July 2011. LegislationSaturation Diving
Definition(s)
Saturation Diving
Saturation diving is the diving technique used during diving operations where the diver has reached the full saturation state for the pressure and breathing mixture being used. When this state has been reached the time required for decompression is not further increased in relation to the duration of the dive. Source: Commercial Diving Projects Offshore, Diving at Work Regulations 1997, Approved Code of Practice (UK HSE L103), First Edition, 1998. Regulatory GuidanceMine Workings
Definition(s)
Mine Workings
Mine workings include all areas where mineral has been extracted including shafts, staple pits, underground roadways, stopes, longwall workings, board and pillar workings, headings, water lodges and any boreholes associated with the mine, for example for ventilation, cable routes, pumping, methane drainage, proving of reserves and probing in connection with prevention of inrushes. Source: A Guide to the Borehole Sites and Operations Regulations 1995, Guidance on Regulations (UK HSE L72), Second Edition, 2008. Regulatory GuidanceMining Area
Definition(s)
Mining Area
A mining area means land which lies within 1 km of the workings of any mine whether currently being worked or disused, or land in relation to which a licence to mine minerals has been granted. This is land where mining operations may have been carried out, may be ongoing or may be carried out in the future. It is an area where mining operations and borehole operations may affect one another. It includes the volume of land which lies within the locus of all points lying 1000 metres, measured in any direction, from any mine working. The extent of mine workings and the location and proximity of a borehole must be considered in three dimensions. Source: A Guide to the Borehole Sites and Operations Regulations 1995, Guidance on Regulations (UK HSE L72), Second Edition, 2008. Regulatory GuidanceMining Area
“Mining area” means land—- within one kilometre, in a horizontal or other direction, of the workings in a mine (whether disused or not); or
- in relation to which a licence to mine for minerals has been granted.
Borehole Site
Definition(s)
Borehole Site
A borehole site means any site at which borehole operations:- are going to be undertaken;
- are being undertaken; or
- have been undertaken and at which there is a borehole, whether partly drilled or completed, which has not been abandoned.
Borehole Site
“Borehole site” means a place at which a borehole operation—- is being or is to be undertaken; or
- has been undertaken, save where all borehole operations have ceased and all boreholes have been abandoned.
Exclusions
Definition(s)
Exclusions
Borehole operations do not include:- the drilling of shotfiring holes in connection with production blasting at opencast sites or quarries or blasting at construction sites;
- geophysical exploration or investigation for the construction of underground storage facilities, civil engineering tunnels, shafts or other civil engineering works which may involve extraction of minerals;
- prospecting for water or extraction or disposal of water, except in connection with petroleum extraction or mineral exploration;
- extraction of landfill gas;
- preparation at a site where no extraction or prospecting is being carried out, of minerals which were extracted by boreholes at another site. An example of this would be separation of gas and water from crude oil at a central oil collection site which is not used for prospecting or production of minerals by boreholes.
Prospecting By Means of Boreholes, Excluding Those Drilled From Within The Underground
Definition(s)
Prospecting By Means of Boreholes, Excluding Those Drilled From Within The Underground
workings of a mine, with a view to extracting discovered minerals by means other than boreholes This includes prospecting by boreholes for coal, tin, salt, gypsum, limestone or any other minerals which are to be extracted by deep mining, opencasting or quarrying. It includes drilling operations, coring, seismic work using boreholes and all work associated with these operations at a borehole site. ‘Mineral’ means mineral existing in its natural strata and includes oil, natural gas (but not landfill gas), coal bed methane, coal, fluorspar, gypsum, lead, potash, anhydrite, salt, tin, rocks, clays and other minerals. It does not include water with the exception of water extracted from or returned to natural strata in connection with the exploration or extraction of minerals. Source: A Guide to the Borehole Sites and Operations Regulations 1995, Guidance on Regulations (UK HSE L72), Second Edition, 2008. Regulatory GuidanceProspecting For Minerals Which Are To Be Extracted By Boreholes
Definition(s)
Prospecting For Minerals Which Are To Be Extracted By Boreholes
This includes all exploratory drilling operations for minerals existing in their natural strata, which are to be extracted by boreholes, eg oil, natural gas, coal bed methane etc. It also includes all work ancillary to a drilling operation at a borehole site, such as assembly and installation of drilling equipment on the site, drilling, borehole logging, mud pumping, well surveying, fracturing, perforating and well testing etc. It also includes any prospecting work carried out at an existing borehole site even though no drilling operations are being carried out in association with that prospecting. Source: A Guide to the Borehole Sites and Operations Regulations 1995, Guidance on Regulations (UK HSE L72), Second Edition, 2008. Regulatory GuidanceExtraction Of Minerals By Boreholes
Definition(s)
Extraction Of Minerals By Boreholes
This includes all extraction operations at a borehole site, for oil, natural gas, coal bed methane and other minerals existing in their natural strata. It includes boreholes used for the storage of gas in natural strata reservoirs from which oil, natural gas or coal bed methane has previously been extracted. It does not include extraction of landfill gas. It also includes ancillary operations associated with extraction such as injection of water or gas from the surface to an underground reservoir, maintenance work and on-site operations associated with the preparation of the extracted minerals for sale. It also includes boreholes used to construct underground storage facilities where minerals are to be extracted through the borehole, for example in the construction of caverns in salt formations by solution mining. Preparation of minerals includes simple operations to separate water and gas from well fluids and to stabilise well fluids prior to transport from a borehole site. It does not include processing of minerals. Source: A Guide to the Borehole Sites and Operations Regulations 1995, Guidance on Regulations (UK HSE L72), Second Edition, 2008. Regulatory GuidanceBorehole Operation
Definition(s)
Borehole Operation
A borehole operation is any operation or activity at a borehole site, associated with the following. Source: A Guide to the Borehole Sites and Operations Regulations 1995, Guidance on Regulations (UK HSE L72), Second Edition, 2008. Regulatory GuidanceBorehole Operation
Any reference in these Regulations to a borehole operation is a reference to an activity or operation in the course or furtherance of, or in connection with the cessation of—- the extraction of minerals by a borehole;
- prospecting with a view to such extraction; or
- prospecting by a borehole, other than a borehole drilled from within the underground workings of a mine which is in use, with a view to the extraction of minerals by means other than a borehole, or to the preparation for sale, but not the processing, of extracted minerals at the place of any such activity or operation.