Attention: Active Onshore Drillers-Safety Improvements Needed
Independents drill the majority of onshore wells. Accident statistics don't lie-big improvements in safety are needed and poor safety practices cost both the drilling contractor and producer.
Increased emphasis on safety management in the oil and gas industry has led to improvement over the last decade. Regulatory oversight by government entities such as the MMS has provided some of the impetus for change. Operators, drilling contractors, and service companies have worked diligently internally and within industry groups to identify common hazards and failures. These efforts have reduced the number and severity of injuries.
Benefits of safety management can be found within the Halliburton Energy Services Performance Improvement Initiative (PII). The three focal points of PII are Health and Safety, Environment and Service Quality. Launched in 1997, PII has resulted in an injury rate decline of nearly fifty-percent.
Although the US oil and gas injury rate trends are down, there is a disparity between offshore and onshore safety. Statistics gathered by the International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC) between 1998 and June 2000, indicate the injury rate is between 2 to 4 times higher onshore than offshore (Figure 1). This increased rate may result in higher operating costs from injury-related expenses.
Figure
1
The National Safety Council estimates that a disabling injury costs $28,000. At a five percent profit margin, $560,000 in sales are needed to cover the injury. Economics, worker morale and productivity are drivers for safety improvements.
There are basic standards that have helped make the location safer. Requiring personnel to wear basic protective gear, safety glasses, hard hats, coveralls, steel-toed shoes. Establishing minimum expectations for safety training such as Hazard Communication, Lockout/Tagout, rigging/crane operation, and mentoring. Insisting that hazardous behavior or conditions and near misses be reported. Resolving scheduling conflicts so that hazardous road conditions and driver fatigue can be avoided. Holding pre-job/task safety meetings and building locations with safety in mind.
The following industry workgroups can also be of assistance by providing forums for the exchange of ideas, and offering tools to facilitate improvement. The IPAA
(http://www.ipaa.org/this_is_ipaa/committees.htm#environment), Global Drilling Safety Leadership Initiative
(http://www.iadc.org/globalsafety/global/gdslt_global_inits.htm), Step Change for Safety
(http://www.oil-gas-safety.org.uk/), and Oil and Gas Producers
(http://www.ogp.org.uk/committees/shapcc/index.html).
(Courtesy of Tom Knode, Halliburton Energy Services; gist of presentation by Jim Renfro at recent IPAA meeting in San Antonio,
Tex).
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