WorldWide Drilling Resource

Environmental Monitoring by Thomas Kwader, Ph.D., P.G. Drilling Safety - Times are Changing First of all, let me say many drilling companies have already adopted the new safety culture as being the number one priority of our business. For those of you who have not, you need to get onboard, or it will be difficult to survive. This is especially important if your work relies upon being a subcontractor for a construction, architectural, or engineer- ing firm. I can tell you, in my experience work- ing for a worldwide engineering firm, the first thing we look at before consid- ering hiring a drilling subcontractor is the company’s safety record. If the safety record is not “excellent”, we will not even consider hiring the company. All drilling companies need to have a written safety program in place, prac- tice it, and make no exceptions for follow- ing the policy. The goal is “zero” incidents, no injuries at all as ALL INJURIES ARE PREVENTABLE . The days of doing things too quickly and taking risks are over. Drilling itself is a dangerous pro- fession because of the risks of slipping, falling, climbing, numerous pinch points, rotating parts, lifting, moving parts over- head, weather, etc. However, it can be made safe! Everyone needs to return home safely every day - no exceptions. How can we make drilling safer? Review your own safety record of inci- dents - what went wrong and how could it have been prevented? Safety needs to be practiced and supported from the top to the bottom. Every employee should have the authority to stop a job at any time if they see a safety concern. One of my favorite methods is “4” sight: 1) Ask yourself: “What am I about to do?” 2) What could go wrong? 3) What could I do to make it safer? 4) What have I done to communi- cate the hazards to others involved? If you agree, and are ready to make this commitment but don’t know where to start, there are numerous sources of information available through ground- water and drilling associations, and the Internet. I would suggest focusing on drilling safety, which would be specifi- cally oriented toward drilling activities. Check your rig manufacturer for safety information. If you have a large drilling company, you may want to consider hiring a safety consultant who can tai- lor a program for your particular needs. Safety First! Tom Tom Kwader may be contacted via e-mail at michele@ worldwidedrillingresource.com 27 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® MAY 2015 From a new subscriber: Love the articles in your February issue. A coworker gave it to me. Donna Schartung KY Dept. Natural Resources