The other day, going through my notifications on social media I ran across a photo of a young driller on the step of a drill rig. “At the controls,” the post read, seemingly a rite of passage for this young man, which should be a feel-good for everyone in the industry. We all remember the first job where we were blessed enough to run a rig for the first time, or the first time we took responsibility for getting the bore completed and returning safely to the shop victorious. This was the intent of the person who posted the picture, I believe. However, that was not the message the picture told.
The picture showed a young person being taught to ignore the hazards our chosen profession presents us with every day. The young man sat on a lawn chair on the step of the rig (a failing) with no hard hat, gloves or eye protection, with a cell phone in hand. Now I don’t know if this photo was taken as a lark or not, but some of the comments were telling. Many of the drillers who responded commented about the type of seat they’ve rigged up to sit in while running the controls of their drill. I found this concerning. I believe you should never sit while running the controls of a drill rig. However, it seems many drillers consider a seat mounted on the step an asset that provides them with a more rested day — thereby making their focus sharper. Although this seems like common sense, research shows otherwise. A psychological study published in 2017 found just the opposite: Standing enhances our attention and cognitive control.