Snubbing Operations Safety Assessment through the Application of Success Paths and FMECA

The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), the federal agency responsible for promoting safety, environmental protection, and resource conservation on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf, supported the development of API Recommended Practice (RP) 16SB to strengthen governance of snubbing and hydraulic workover (HWO) well control systems. Although snubbing and HWO represent long‑established intervention technologies, industry expertise has historically remained siloed, and no comprehensive API standards previously existed. To address this gap, BSEE engaged Argonne National Laboratory to conduct Success Path and Failure Modes, Effects, and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) evaluations of key barrier and pressure‑control elements, providing a structured basis for assessing system robustness and identifying high‑risk failure points. Through biweekly collaboration with API Subcommittee 16 subject matter experts, the study revealed challenges in achieving consensus on terminology, equipment configurations, and definitions of well‑control concepts, underscoring the need for standardization. Despite these constraints, the analyses demonstrated broad industry agreement on the requirement for a minimum of two barriers during snubbing operations and highlighted areas where additional safety components may be warranted. The study concludes with recommendations to continue applying Success Path and FMECA methodologies, advance terminology harmonization, expand training, and pursue improved data collection and future research to support the evolving development of API RP 16SB.