WorldWide Drilling Resource

Safety Spotlight: Awareness by Scott Cosby This month’s article will focus on awareness during drilling operations. From my past drill crew experience, I know there’s a lot going on during drilling. One mis- take can cause serious injury or even become a fatal situation, not to mention the cost factor. The drill operator and crew must be aware of everything going on around them, and work together in a safe, efficient manner. In this article, we’ll examine awareness itself, and some helpful tips to maintain awareness. Most dictionaries define awareness as the state or condition of being aware; having knowledge; or consciousness. We can take this definition a step further and say awareness is the condition of being aware of safety issues and potential hazards. Awareness is like almost everything else we do on a daily basis; it’s a learned condition, not instinctive. Everyone learns in various ways. Some learn by doing, others by watching, and some by reading. Others learn by their mistakes or the mistakes of others. What’s the best way to develop good awareness concerning safety during drilling operations? Here are some tips concerning awareness: c Before drilling begins, know the purpose of the work and the best way to do it more safely, and keep it in mind. c Make sure to know how and when to use personal protection equipment (PPE). c During drilling, always be aware of your position, to reduce strain on your body. c Become aware of any changes in the work area, such as people coming or going, and the task at hand. c Maintain effective communication with others concerning safety. Monitor yourself often to see if you have good awareness. If you don't, one of the best ways to gain further awareness is to step back and take a hard look at your or a coworker’s actions when performing a task. The whole point of all these tips is the drill crew finishes a job safely and returns home at the end of a workday! There are also wide varieties of sources through search engines concerning this topic, as well. A good place to start is the OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) website, https://www.osha.gov , which covers many occupations in regard to safety concerns. Provide in-house training on this topic to all drill operators and crews. Scott Scott Cosby may be contacted via e-mail to michele@worldwidedrillingresource.com ! " # ! 19 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® JULY 2016