Episode 165 – The Driller Newscast
Ghosts in the Borehole: Jobsite Terrors & The 33 Rescue
Jobsite Horrors on the Rig: Why Silica Dust, Low Wages, and Viral Reels Are Costing Drillers
In this special Halloween edition of The Driller Newscast, "Ghosts in the Borehole," host Brock Yordy—joined by field correspondent Braun Yordy reporting from an abandoned Tonopah silver mine—pulls back the curtain on the real-world jobsite terrors haunting the drilling industry today.
First, Yordy confronts the invisible killer on the rig: respirable crystalline silica dust. With dry-drilling clouds pushing sub-4-micron particles deep into the lungs and OSHA issuing over 2,200 respiratory citations in a year, suppressing dust at the borehole is life and death.
Episode 165 – The Driller Newscast
Read on for a more detailed recap of our discussion this week.
Next, the episode tackles the workforce "Thanos Snap." Using living-wage data, Yordy explains why offering $17 to $20 an hour while expecting 70-to-88-hour workweeks burns out the next generation, and why contractors must shift toward sustainable schedules and prevailing-level wages. He then calls out the "OSHA Boogeyman," warning that viral clips of unguarded kelly bars and missing whip-checks hand regulators digital evidence of unsafe acts.
Finally, the episode pivots from jobsite nightmares to drilling’s greatest triumph: how episode sponsor Center Rock Manufacturing, Layne Christensen, and Geotech Boyles engineered the historic rescue of the 33 trapped Chilean miners—proving what precision tooling and textbook execution can achieve.
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Brock Yordy, Director of Industry Engagement for The Driller, is a third-generation driller and globally recognized subject matter expert who has written for The Driller since 2013. Driven by a passion for industry education and digital media, he anchors The Driller Newscast and hosts weekly podcasts for the trade. His technical authority is backed by decades of extreme fieldwork worldwide for organizations like Halliburton, SUEZ, and the U.S. Government. Dedicated to ensuring clean water for all and advancing equitable geothermal heating and cooling, Brock actively collaborates with states nationwide through The Developed Well Group and the Geothermal Drillers Association to shape policy, safety, and workforce training.
email: brock@thedriller.com | office: (269) 348-5156
