Back to the Beginning: Training

Welcome back to everyone’s favorite topic—safety! I say that because most of the people that read anything about safety are safety people. Some people in operations will glance through safety articles on the chance there may be something new or a new rule or ruling from OSHA, MSHA, EPA, NIOSH, FMCA, or—if they operate in our parts—some other entity, such as the Texas Railroad Commission, the Texas Department of Safety, etc.

Back in 1971, I started my career in the oilfield as a lead tong hand and OSHA was also established the same year. Usually, the person that was designated for safety was a man that was missing a finger or a limb. The usual pep talk (about 5 minutes) was pretty much, “Y’all work safe and watch out for each other.” Thankfully, those days are gone, and safety has come a long way. This brings me to the next Phase of Safety—which begins around the turn of the year 2000.

In that era, it was rare that a company had zero accidents, and the trend where safety personnel were concerned, was for companies to start higher education requirements and to require some knowledge of the overall operations, or even to expect the candidate to possess some operations experience. This was the era when safety personnel might flourish if they filled a dual role, having, in addition to their on-site duties, some involvement with “outside” safety organizations. In such a capacity they might find themselves exchanging ideas with anyone or everyone in the oilfield. Meanwhile, just having a degree, any degree, regardless of whether it was an HSE degree or not, was the ticket. Don’t get me wrong—this marked a step up from where it was.

Then around 2015, the trend shifted toward specific degrees based on the application and needs of the business. The larger companies were a bit more stringent on requirements for safety management positions. There are required certifications that were more specialized than what we’d seen in the past. Such certifications might directly address the work specialties and the needs of the employing company. Some examples: certifications in explosives, in radiation exposure, in silicosis, and in other additional health considerations. Let’s not forget that there were zero deaths in the making of Mount Rushmore, but after its completion there were six fatalities due to silicosis.

I was among the last of the non-degreed safety professionals to work a long, full career without a formal degree. During the course of my career in safety, I trained numerous degreed professionals. I took pride in staying current with all the requirements, updates, and revisions. Any professional would do that. My expertise came from an operational background of 20 years. Twenty years of having to notify families of injuries and some deaths. I also led a region one year with two-million-man hours with only one recordable accident.

So here is where I am going with this:

1. A safety degree does not ensure “no accidents.”
2. Knowledge of how to prevent accidents does not ensure “no accidents.”
3. Converting an operations manager to a safety role, even if that manager has a “degree in safety,” does not mean “no accidents.”
4. We can incorporate residual risk reduction and root cause analysis, we can generate metrics, and the list goes on, but… etc.
5. We can monitor behaviors, put cameras in the out-house, flood the area with people monitoring behaviors, etc.

But when we get to humans and their behaviors, it’s a crapshoot.

Automation reduces risks. Behavior and training are key. Plan, organize, delegate, control (monitor), and enforce—these are key.

So, what is the answer? All the above and “then some!”

Here is the “Then Some”:

If you get a safety person that’s top notch, pay them accordingly. If your workforce goes successfully for a year without a record-able, reward them with more than a Cross Pen and Pencil set and a couple of hundred dollars. Incorporate a legitimate drug and alcohol program. There are still a few drugs that a drug test won’t register or capture. The druggies are still a step ahead of technology. Provide psychological support. Your employees have a home life, and not all are perfect. Observations are helpful. Home in on reporting all accidents. Sure, you have a policy… we all do. It is human nature to fudge, fib, and lie, wittingly and unwittingly. Have periodic wake-up calls from and with upper management. Then there is driving. Highway fatalities are rampant. Why? They are tired, worn out, and stressed. You can’t stop a baby from crying all night. It’s called fatigue, no sleep, and pressure. Provide realistic goals and the proper tools to achieve them, whether these be mental, spiritual, or physical.

Each month I strive to communicate perspectives that you won’t find in regular safety periodicals in the oilfield. To demonstrate that, I could cherry pick my best advice made in years of writing this column. Or I could get a degree in safety, if getting a degree would be what’s needed to legitimize my perspective. But it wouldn’t make any difference. The thing is, in the training I’ve received, there is not one single course that teaches (that I’m aware of) how anyone can prepare oneself to sit at a funeral, watching a family grieve, and stare you down with hate because their loved one cannot see their family anymore. It hurts to the depth of your soul. It’s always the safety person’s and/or the president of the company’s fault.

Now that I have lifted everyone’s spirits up (I’m being facetious), I hope you pass this article around and let all the decision makers read this article. After that is done, pass it on to the managers, safety personnel, and workers that are with your company. Until we achieve no injuries, a safety person’s job will never be done. Good luck and God bless you all.       —Dusty

Dusty Roach is a safety professional based in Midland. He is also a public speaker on subjects of leadership and safety, and he maintains a personal website at dustyroach.com.

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