Back in 1971, I started working in the oilfield. It was in the summer after graduation from high school that I started as a roughneck. Yep, I worked lead tongs on a “triple.” It had 3 (quiet…sarcasm) Waukesha engines powering that rig. It was a deep hole triple (3 joints of pipe in a stand), […]

As I was leaving my office that was downtown, and going to an adjacent building, I looked over by the smoking area outside, and there was a medium-sized fire! Being the safety professional I am, I assessed the situation. It appeared to be a fire in the plastic 5 gallon bucket used for cigarette butts. […]

In view of recent events of snow-mageddon that we all recently experienced in Texas, there arises the issue of being continually prepared. Any safety person worth their weight should play the “what if” game continually, as should anyone in any other position in the petroleum gas industry. When it comes to operations, safety, accounting, investments, […]

Greeting and salutations! I hope this month’s edition finds you doing well as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and the downturn in the oil and gas business. This month we are tackling an age-old issue—one not limited to our business but certainly a main factor. The issue is reporting incidents, accidents, and near misses. […]

Like the old saying goes, there are only two kinds of people when it comes to digging or doing excavation work. There are (1) those who have hit a line, and (2) those who are going to. I do not know anyone who has not hit a line unless they just started digging for the […]

This month’s topic is absolutely pertinent and timely. Normally it is a sleep-inducer of a topic, the reason being that its ramifications are long term, as opposed to short term—and short term ramifications generally attract greater attention. Silica and silicosis have been an issue in the oilfield and construction industries for quite some time. Largely […]

Happy New Year! I am certainly glad 2020 is in the rear-view mirror. I only wish this COVID-19 (Corona virus) was in the rear-view mirror as well. So, greetings and salutations. To say that 2020 was a strange and tough year is like calling Moby Dick a guppy. If you are reading this, I hope […]

Greetings and salutations! I am so pleased to be writing the last article for 2020. Needless to say, 2020 has been a year of distinction. I am incredibly pleased to see 2020 in the rear-view mirror. Christmas, however, is always a special time to reflect and this year is no different. Normally I just launch […]

Greetings and salutations! I hope you are ready for another fun-filled installment of Safety. This month we are going to shower down on everyone’s favorite topic, which is the in and outs of JSA’s, also known as Job Hazard Analysis. In fact, there are numerous different names, forms, and processes depending on the company, the […]