For the last three years of writing for this publication, I’ve yet to run out of things to say! Isn’t that a typical safety person? That was a rhetorical question—you don’t have to answer that. As I’ve stated throughout the years, safety has become litigation driven. If it is not documented, it didn’t happen. At […]

It is an unfortunate reality that the danger in our industry of oil and gas is not limited to our locations, jobs, or even our commutes. Aside from the workplace and the traffic, the tentacles of danger have crept into our industry in the form of mental unrest and stress by social, financial, and overall […]

Greeting and salutations! Here’s hoping that this month brings milder weather, higher oil prices, and good fortune to all in the oil and gas industry. Have you ever seen the movie Ferris Bueller’ Day Off? It was a hit show in 1986 and it had numerous memorable cameos and fun scenes that make the film […]

Greetings and salutations! In lieu of the non-popularity of our industry by the current Administration, I wanted to take this opportunity to lighten things up a bit. Most safety professionals, when asked if they would like to say a few words, ought to respond realistically by saying, simply, “No.” We seldom have a few words. […]

Compliance just “to comply” has minimal motivation. Compliance without motivation has no value! So what motivates the workforce these days? The stick doesn’t work. The carrot doesn’t work. You might think this an HR issue. Companies rely on the interview process heavily to determine who may be motivated to learn, work, and comply. With the […]

Welcome back to the latest installment in our ongoing conversation about safety! I hope this finds you where you want to be regarding safe practices and procedures. This month we are broaching a topic not normally associated with safety. I find this topic is not a hot subject in safety circles, nor in operations, either! […]

Greetings fellow readers. After three years of writing for this publication, I feel compelled to repeat my story as to how I came to value safety, offering it as a point of reference for those still inclined to resist or ballyhoo safety. Let me say right off, I started in the oilfield (as a roughneck) […]

Greetings and salutations! Over the last 25 years, I have found that safety is a profession that is not necessarily inspired by the lure of large monetary gains. Although it can be an incredibly fulfilling and rewarding profession, the job description is unique due to the concept of making a living by proving that one […]

“It’s not easy being green,” Kermit the Frog famously said, and many oil and gas producers feel the same way about ESG and the growing number of environmental regulations. ESG is short for “Environmental, Social, and Governance”—three non-financial factors that investors increasingly take into consideration when investing in companies, including energy companies. And it’s not […]