Brian Crossman is a partner in Estevan-based Independent Well Servicing. The opinions expressed in this column are the opinions of the author and not necessarily the opinions of Independent Well Servicing.
Brian Crossman. Photo by Brian Zinchuk
Gather ‘round, huddle up, take a knee, sit on a tailgate or whatever works best. It’s time for that thing we all have to do, but don’t really look forward to, “The Safety Meeting.” Well, not an actual one. I just wanted to take a break (again) from the Canadian political scene for a bit and chat about some positive things in our beloved oil and gas industry.
Most of us old boys and girls remember the reputation the industry had years ago. There is always lots of coffee-shop talk about “the good old days” and most of it was pretty good. Working outdoors performing difficult work in rough conditions with great guys was always fantastic. On the flipside of the guys we worked with, often the less-than-fantastic (ok not great at all) people while difficult, there is always something to learn from them as well. (What not to do) The old joke went, “I been working rigs five years!” as you held up three. One of the nice things about these modern times in which we live, are the improvements in safety over the past several decades.
Speaking for myself, (over forty years ago) the morning safety meeting consisted of getting your PPE on, which was a sketchy hard hat, steel-toe boots and maybe some old coveralls. (What the hell was FR?) Safety glasses and hearing protection were considered optional. The driller may tell you very quickly (sometimes) as y’all were heading out the door to the rig and getting after it. Once out on the rig, there was plenty of yelling and orders. You didn’t walk over to the toolbox or shack when told to, you ran. Why? In the paraphrased words of Forest Gump, “Because my driller told me to!” (We don’t run anymore, tripping injuries can be painful.)
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By the same token, yelling was also a way to keep you safe and from doing unsafe (dumb) things. You were called names and terms you never ever heard before in your previous life. Mean, insulting things that you may have taken offense to, but didn’t because you wouldn’t let that miserable SOB get the best of you. But deep down you knew he was just trying to prevent you from getting hurt. A good loud “Get the f—k away from there!” beats a quiet “Please be aware of potential situations that could potentially injure you.” When your driller yelled, you know he damn well meant it. Was it politically correct? Was it sensitive and caring? No, but you hustled your ass when told.
The next big change we have seen is in the equipment we use. The lack of handrails and toe boards on floors and catwalks never seemed too important until it was pointed out to us. Falling off a rig floor can really hurt. Safety cables on the linepipe unions in case of a failure under pressure was definitely a great improvement. (I knew some guys who got hurt like that.) The derrick belts were just that, a belt and an old, ragged lanyard to prevent a fall from the derrick. You free-climbed the derrick and unwrapped it and put it on. (I ended up doing this on my first day on a service rig, I just didn’t know any better) The wasn’t a full harness with leggings and shoulder straps with a fall arrest attached to it. The use of “impact gloves” has significantly reduced hand and finger injuries, and they sure beat the old “Green Kings. Now we have all this amazing gear, and we are better off because for it.
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Crownsavers, for those of you that don’t know is a device which does exactly that. It saves the crown. When the travelling blocks are going up to the crown and they don’t stop (either mechanical failure or human error) you will “crown out” or “ring the bell” which is the light-hearted term for hitting the crown, causing some damage. The reality is you can shear the drill line which will bring the blocks down to the working floor at high speed which is a disaster for anyone on said rig floor. The next possible catastrophe is to pull the crown down or pull the derrick over and I don’t need to describe that to y’all. Now we have devices in place that will prevent this from happening, as long as it is set correctly, properly maintained and tested daily. With that being said, a good, experienced driller who is paying attention is the best “crownsaver” of all in my opinion. I could review the list of shields, guards, ESD’s, and the general upgraded equipment, but you don’t have all day and probably know that all too well.
Another major improvement is the training. In the old days, most people didn’t even have first aid training. (I had the Boy Scout version) Today there is all manner of courses dealing with handling and transporting chemicals and dangerous goods, H2S gas driving and so much more. Blow-Out Prevention is another big one. Some of these “safety tickets” are good for your lifetime, but most of them have to be renewed on a regular basis, which is probably a good idea. Quite a few of us “old-timers” get tired of re-taking these courses on a regular basis because we know it all. (At least we think we do…) Having said that, these courses have made the industry a better place to work, and with Energy Safety Canada following their mandate of continuous improvement the statistics are improving. On a side note, driving to and from work is statically the most dangerous part of the day.
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- 0099 Mryglod Steel 1080p0099 Mryglod Steel 1080p
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- 0095 Fast Trucking nearly 70 years good at it0095 Fast Trucking nearly 70 years good at it
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Safety culture is right near the top of the list of positive change in my opinion. There has been a drive in the past few years to focus on the workplace (rigsite) culture. More open communication, a modern approach to mentoring which focuses on new hires starting out observing tasks as opposed to “throwing the FNG to the wolves.” Other events such as safety conferences, safety stand downs with professional keynote speakers help develop the “software” in the minds of men and women performing hazardous work. The bottom line is that work assess hazards before and during the job, see the potential incidents before they become accidents. This, along with actually caring about your fellow workers, is different today than it once was. People cared about each other in the past, but it wasn’t encouraged as much, in large part because time was, and still is, money. That was the primary driver for centuries and was acceptable risk and considered “part of the job. Like my old boss used to say, “My job is to get you home rich, getting home safe is on you.” These are wise words in my opinion, as we are each accountable for ourselves and no safety program will change that.
Like so many things in life, it often comes down to money. Equipment damage costs money. Injuries cost money and suffering. Fatalities cost money and grief for companies, friends and most importantly, tragedy for the families. There is no price that will ease that level of suffering and loss. The improvements made in safety have definitely made for a better oil and gas industry and we can thank the leadership of the producers and the contractors for that. But more importantly, each individual worker has taken the equipment and information and used the tools to improve everyone’s lives. We may all complain about safety meetings, the courses and the safety professionals coming out, but we all know they honestly want to keep everyone unharmed in the workplace. When all the roughnecks out there complain about the safety meetings, don’t take them too seriously, they want to come home every night, healthy, happy and alive.
Brian Crossman is a partner with Independent Well Servicing in Estevan. He will be the first to admit he has made mistakes in regard to safety, but fortunately, he still can count to ten without removing his boots. The old adage is “Don’t put your fingers where you wouldn’t put your d—” (or reading glasses) still rings true.
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- 0111 2026 SK Oil Show booth promo 010111 2026 SK Oil Show booth promo 01
- 0085 Turnbull snow removal call office0085 Turnbull snow removal call office
- 0110 SaskEnergy SEI_Network_Members_Burn_Brighter0110 SaskEnergy SEI_Network_Members_Burn_Brighter
- 0105 SaskEnergy Commitment to Safety0105 SaskEnergy Commitment to Safety
- 0102 Lori Carr Coal Extended0102 Lori Carr Coal Extended
- 0100 Turnbull Project Manager0100 Turnbull Project Manager
- 0099 Mryglod Steel 1080p0099 Mryglod Steel 1080p
- 0097 Eagle Sky Ventures LTD0097 Eagle Sky Ventures LTD
- 0095 Fast Trucking nearly 70 years good at it0095 Fast Trucking nearly 70 years good at it
- 0092 Turnbull projects big and small0092 Turnbull projects big and small
- 0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan Teaser0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan Teaser
- 0077 Caprice Resources Stand Up For Free Speech0077 Caprice Resources Stand Up For Free Speech
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- 0032 IWS Summer hiring rock trailer music
- 0022 Grimes winter hiring
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- 0018 IWS Hiring Royal Summer
- 0013 Panther Drilling PO ad 03 top drive rigs
- 0002 gilliss casing services0002 gilliss casing services
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- 9001