In his latest editorial for the September/October issue of Drilling Contractor (DC) magazine, IADC President Jason McFarland explores the importance of including mental health when addressing the topic of industry safety.
McFarland begins,
“Often when I think about safety in this industry, my mind goes to the physical realm of safety – reducing incidents, increasing safe operations, using proper PPE, training our workforce, etc. But what about the dangers that are less obvious, the ones that we can’t necessarily see?”
He discusses how mental health and physical safety are interconnected, providing insightful statistics on mental health in the workforce in general, and in remote rotational workers specifically. He then goes on to ask how we, as an industry, can keep our employees safe in all aspects, including the physical and the mental/emotional.
McFarland states,
“We all know the red zone on the rig floor is dangerous because it’s where the risk of injury is the highest. How do we help an employee whose mind feels like a red zone, like an unsafe place to be? Just as we have protocols for physical red zones, establishing mental health protocols can provide guidance when mental health challenges arise.”
He examines how protecting workers from physical red zones can provide a blueprint for safeguarding mental and emotional wellbeing, using the following examples:
- Training and awareness
- Communication
- Regular inspections and maintenance
The article then shifts to discussing IADC’s initiatives on this subject, including the recently published IADC Mental Health at Work Handbook of the IADC Health Subcommittee. McFarland also discusses the IADC North Sea Chapter’s Mental Health in Energy initiative, which has been unfolding over the past couple of years.
IADC Members are also taking a variety of approaches to support employee mental health and wellbeing within their own organizations. Kenny Baker, Director of Personnel Development at Cactus Drilling, explains,
“A good work environment is the best mental health deal you can have. When you’re on a 14-day rotation, you spend more time with the people at work than you do with anyone else. Our managers are encouraged to be honest and vulnerable about their own lives with the toolpushers so they’ll feel comfortable coming back to them when they’re going through something. We want them to know that if they’ve got something going on in their personal life, we’re really here for them.”
In closing, McFarland states,
“By prioritizing both mental and physical wellbeing, we can create a safer, more resilient workforce capable of meeting the unique challenges of this industry. The safety and wellbeing of our people — in body and mind — must always be our top priority.”
