Many drillers have worked right through the coronavirus pandemic, keeping on the job due to the “essential” nature of their work — particularly in water well and energy drilling. Of course, they’ve done so with increased safety and risk mitigation steps. But are people still paying attention to those safety protocols, or is complacency creeping in on the jobsite?
To explore that question, we turned to Dave Bowers, an instructor with the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 AFL-CIO Apprentice and Skill Improvement Program (ASIP) in Wilmington, Illinois, just outside of Chicago. Bowers, who also writes for National Driller, has taught hundreds of drillers how to safely perform their work. As the pandemic drags on, we wanted to hear his ideas on keeping yourself, your crews and their families safe.