Every year, most of us in the water well industry go to our national or state conferences and commiserate with our fellow drillers. One of the things we all like to do is talk about the work and how others overcame the problems we all encounter. We go to presentations and see vendors, looking for that next “big” thing that could save us money or give us an advantage over our competitors. Maybe there are lessons we could learn from other industries that could have an impact on our industry. We may even find ways to improve our safety culture.
I have been lucky enough to work with great people from other trades. I have also gotten the chance as an instructor to research different methodologies. Looking at other industries’ experiences provides us with the opportunity to lessen the growing pains of nurturing the drilling industry into a model for safety and sustainability in the 21st century. Gone are the days of production is king, and “I don’t have time for that.” We are mobilizing huge amounts of money in capital equipment to the jobsite. The cost of insuring that equipment and our employees highlights the importance of creating a safety culture within an organization. Just as important is collaboration within the industry, to provide all workers with the training and guidance for them to succeed in working safely and productively.