Dusty Roach
Some of the most commonly heard phrases in the oilfield when describing accidents are references to some sort of luck. Luck is defined as success or failure, apparently brought by chance rather than through one’s own actions. Regardless, whether it is good luck or bad luck (or, as some claim, it may be “no luck at all”) that we are talking about, most would agree that we’re dealing with some form of superstition. A mild superstition, perhaps, but a superstition nonetheless. Superstitions, which have been around for all of the recorded history of mankind, have no scientific basis, much like our news in today’s world (and our climate change). I digress.
An actuary is a professional with advanced mathematical skills who deals with the management and measurement of risk. Another related field is actuarial science, which covers mathematical calculations in areas of life expectancy and life insurance. Make no mistake about it, it is a science. They are professionals.
However, I do contend there is a certain amount of luck involved in anyone’s life choices. Maybe it is destiny, guidance, education, genes, or perhaps just good ol’ luck.
In my elementary school, there was a close friend—one who still is to this day. His father worked in the oilfield overseas, and offered to help us both enter into the field of oil and gas exploration. He made a few phone calls of stateside friends and found us a contact, enabling us to enter the oil patch. We started out as worms, with a salty old dog of a driller on a triple. I was the lead tongs and my friend was the chain-hand on a five man crew. Luck would have it we were going to make $3.50 an hour. I know, that’s pretty impressive! Considering minimum wage was $1.60 per hour. How lucky we were! We were going to be chick-magnets, loaded up with making money like that.
We worked our tails off for the whole summer, saving all that money. We worked seven days a week on a daylight tour (pronounced tower), until college started. How lucky we were. No one was hurt. We worked our tails off and saved money. During college I worked for another driller who had just come back from Viet Nam. He taught me real safety.
Numerous times, if I did something stupid, he would get on me, like a chicken on a Cheeto. He taught me numerous things, like “Think it out before you put your life in jeopardy.”
He often said, “ In the oilfield you have to know what you’re doing, you have to ask yourself what could go wrong, and ask yourself, ‘Will it hurt someone?’ ” Because in the jungle, in Nam, and being in charge of other people, numerous people were not so lucky to come home… alive. And that would haunt you all of your life. Believe me, I know and it will change your life.”
That stuck with me all of my life!
This is where my good luck started. My friend and I worked through college. We continued working in the oilfield. There were occasional sore backs, small cuts, sleepless nights, and bruised egos during the college years. Eventually, he worked on a drill ship, and I worked overseas. We both went up through the ranks, and he became a driller as I did also. We both got married and we both had kids. Later on, he became a CPA. I became a Safety Professional, in the year of 2000. We both luckily survived numerous downturns. We’ve seen the results of numerous accidents. Some were not so lucky. Some of us were lucky.
When I started safety, I was reluctant to change career paths, but was given no choice. I voiced my opinion as to why I did not care for safety professionals. I tendered up the proviso that if I did accept the position, that I would change how safety would be administered, taught, and managed. He agreed. After years of continuing formal and experiential training, it is absolutely the best thing that ever happened in my life, aside from my wife, family, and faith! I am still working. I must be the luckiest Safety Guy in the world.
I thank that veteran.
As always, it is not how many hits you make in baseball that counts. It is how many times you reach home safely!
—Dust
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.