The COVID-19 outbreak and how it affects everyone’s health and safety is of huge concern for Boart Longyear. Being in an industry that already has many risks due the nature of drilling and manufacturing, employees have learned that fostering a safety culture means that no matter what they do, they always need to take time to make safety part of their daily activities*.

As everyone grapples with the changes and the unfortunate consequences we are seeing and are personally affected by, it is good to take a deep breathe and re-evaluate what you are doing to keep yourself and your loved ones safe and healthy.

The web is full of helpful information on what to look for, how to act, how to respond, and how to give assistance. In regard to the drilling industry, we recently came across this well written article published online by National Driller magazine.

In the article, author Brock Yordy asks, “How do we prepare for abnormal operating conditions?” and responds with, “We start by creating a procedure that minimizes the hazard and prepares our crews to be safe. Next, we implement that procedure by training our people. Finally, we review our procedures and continue to improve as new information arises.” 

Mr. Yordy goes on to compliment the drilling community as we all pull together to provide each other information and figure out the best ways to tackle this crisis. With his research, he interviewed Jeff Williams, former National Ground Water Association (NGWA) president. Mr. Williams and other industry experts have created a guideline for operating procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic. We highly recommend you read this interview and review the findings and procedures set forth.

Read the full National Driller article and excerpts from Mr. Yordy’s interview with Mr. Williams here: What are Best Practices for Drillers During the Coronavirus Pandemic?

Stay safe everyone!

*The employees of Boart Longyear have long prided themselves on a robust safety culture. Embodying a core value of “Safety First” is evident in the company’s recent 2019 safety achievement with the company hitting an incredible milestone of 14.5 million consecutive man-hours worked with no Lost Time Injuries (LTI), and 18 months completely LTI-free. 

Boart Longyear’s Response to COVID-19

Anglo Gold Ashanti

Barrick

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Evolution

Glencore

Gold Fields

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Lundin Mining

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Rio Tinto

South32

Teck

On one particular project, Boart Longyear mobilized underground coring rigs to a client’s mine in the US where the mine was faced with a big water problem that was making the underground exploration coring impossible to complete. The mine had two shafts located at different levels, one above the other. The deeper shaft had pumps installed and was ready to pump water to the surface. However, the upper shaft had flooded with water – where there were no pumps.

Typical underground coring setup.

Rather than attempt to install additional pumps in the flooded upper shaft to remove the water, Boart Longyear moved their underground coring rigs down to the lower shaft and drilled a fan-shaped series of up-holes to the flooded shaft above. The idea worked, effectively using gravity to drain the water from the upper shaft to the lower shaft where the pumps were then able to move the excess water to the surface. The mine was able to continue operations in the upper shaft and Boart Longyear was able to start the diamond coring exploration drilling.

On another project, the mine was thought to be dry. After the underground coring began, the Boart Longyear crew ended up finding water – a lot of it, quite unexpectedly. The crew was able to come up with a plan to manage the water so the exploration drilling could be completed. After pressure grouting in a cement collar casing, a blow-out- preventer (BOP – used to seal, control, and monitor water to prevent blow outs and the uncontrolled release of high-pressure water) and rock pack were installed successfully, shutting the water in. Most instances where that amount of water is encountered play out quite differently. Everyone has experienced, or knows someone who has, a situation where a high volume of water blows all your tooling out of the hole, resulting in a complicated mess.

Other examples of unexpected challenges include creative solutions using Boart Longyear’s own engineered underground rigs on the surface. The Drilling Services Underground Coring division mobilized rigs to a mine site where a delay in underground diamond coring exploration had the underground rigs idle on the surface. Someone saw the rigs waiting and asked if the idle underground rigs could drill flat-angled holes on the surface. Accepting the challenge, the underground coring rigs have been drilling these low, flat-angled boreholes ever since.

The mine site has a limited surface disturbance permit – which means that to reach the geological formations outside the area of their disturbance permit, Boart Longyear’s Underground Coring division is operating underground rigs on the surface to drill low-angled and flat holes that surface rigs often can’t reach because of their truck-mounted tall masts.

The underground rigs can drill at low angles from -40 degrees down to flat. They drill underneath the area where the mining client isn’t allowed to disturb the surface. This means exploration coring can follow ore veins without disturbing the surface and drill beneath the area outside of the issued disturbance permit.

The boreholes are 2600 ft to 2700 ft (792.48 m to 822.96 m) at a -40 to -12 degree angle. Boart Longyear has the tooling and the expertise for that type of drilling but was unable to accomplish the job with surface rigs because when set up flat, you’re going to be 12 ft (3.66 m) off the ground because the mast is way up on a truck carrier. With the underground rigs, a work platform or deck was constructed, which enabled the team to work right up close to them.

The Boart Longyear Drilling Services Underground Coring division in the US runs all Boart Longyear-engineered and manufactured LM and MDR rigs. The LM series of rigs feature easily interchangeable components, allowing for space constraints without sacrificing depth requirements. These modular coring rigs offer easier access in tight underground spaces and mobility for easier moves from hole to hole or shaft to shaft. Boart Longyear’s patented tooling offers safer and more efficient up-holes at any angle.

The underground coring rigs in the Drilling Services’ fleet are modified and customized, as compared to the commercially available Boart Longyear underground coring rigs. For example, the LM90 is souped up with a 150-horsepower engine instead of the typical 90-horsepower engine and includes additional modifications for increased depth capacity and core size.

The Drilling Services Underground Coring division has the experience and technical expertise to drill dewatering galleries, geotechnical borings, tunnel investigations, grouting services, and utility borings. The division also has experience with overcore drilling to measure in-situ stress. Overcore drilling involves drilling a hole to depth with a small diameter EX- or AX-sized bit, placing a probe to measure strain response data, and then using a special resin to glue the probe in place. After drilling out a larger diameter core to retrieve the probe, the overcore sample and probe are used for stress testing the rock formation to plan for ground support. This method is often used in both horizontal tunnels and vertical shafts to measure the amount of stress the rock can take.

Another unique application for underground rigs and crews is drilling on the surface into high walls for dewatering purposes. Flat to close-to-horizontal boreholes – from 10 degrees up to 10 degrees down – can be used to create self-draining dewatering boreholes in high walls. Pressure grouting in a cement collar casing keeps the hole from collapsing and can be used with a BOP valve in case the mining client wants to shut the water in the rock formation.

To maintain the integrity of the hole, installing slotted polyvinyl chloride (PVC) keeps the hole from collapsing. If you go through a broken zone, when water starts flowing, the hole can bridge off after a couple of months. The PVC keeps the hole open and the water running.

The benefit of using underground rigs for this type of drilling is the difference between large rotary rigs that produce chip samples and use lower rotation per minute (rpm) and higher torque whereas a coring rig operates at higher rpms and less torque. Chuck-drive underground coring rigs drill slower, straighter, and deeper and collect core for further analysis.

Geologists can use core samples from horizontal drilling into a high wall to look for fractures, faults, and oxidation (to identify water-bearing zones). They can also be identified in chip samples using rotary drilling rigs, but it’s more difficult to see them that way. A core sample provides a better physical view of the rock formation. Drilling high walls with underground coring rigs accomplishes two goals with one borehole – dewatering and obtaining core samples for assaying for fractures, faults, and oxidation.

LM90 with customized feed frame. Expert drillers from left to right: John Sanchez, Jimmie Maggard, Marcus Woody, and Sal Renteria.

Whether it’s an underground coring project or a surface application for underground coring rigs, the drilling crews are the real heroes at Boart Longyear. They have wide-reaching (global) resources to find unique and inventive solutions for complex, technical, and sometimes immense drilling challenges and they’re not afraid to ask questions.

More than just a can-do attitude, great work ethic, diverse skills, vast experience, technical knowledge, and a commitment to safety and each customer’s success, they get the job done. Drillers, driller assistants, welders, mechanics, supervisors, and other support personnel travel to work in remote locations, in all kinds of challenging weather, climates, and altitudes, all while spending extended time away from their families. The work is strenuous, involves extensive training, and requires their full attention for safety’s sake.

These real heroes all contributed to Boart Longyear’s latest safety achievement of 10 million man-hours and one year of being lost-time injury-free. A big congratulations to all the drilling crews and support personnel on this company-wide accomplishment! Denis Despres, Chief Operating Officer stated, "On a site level, we value the everyday procedures from standardized pre-start information meetings that focus on daily job tasks and associated hazards and risks, our online data management system, including the system’s mobile app, and the daily team and individual-based field level risk assessments. At Boart Longyear, it is everyone’s responsibility to work safely."

Originally published in Issue 11 of Coring Magazine, November 2019

Boart Longyear’s new critical risk management programs and simplified company field standards support employees in understanding, embracing, and practicing an exceptional safety culture. The Company focuses on safety programs like THINK (Take the time, Hazard recognition, Identify the risk, Necessary controls applied, and Keep safety first), Stop Work Authority (authorizes and mandates employees immediately stop any work that does not comply with safety standards), the Golden Rules of Safety, the Rules of the Road, and Make it Personal Cards with safety program basics, a signature for their commitment to work safely, and a place for a photo of why they are working safely.

“I am incredibly proud of the employees at Boart Longyear. I acknowledge each one of them for their hard work, for embracing and living our high safety standards and world-class safety programs, and the way everyone takes responsibility for their own safety and keeping each other safe. This is a significant accomplishment for Boart Longyear and is a great outcome resulting from the efforts of everyone in the Company living and breathing our safety culture,” said President and Chief Executive Officer, Jeff Olsen. “I congratulate every Boart Longyear employee for this prestigious achievement.

”The Company acknowledges the participation, collaboration, and contributions from every level and department within Boart Longyear. Denis Despres, Chief Operating Officer stated, “On a site level, we value the everyday procedures from standardized pre-start information meetings that focus on daily job tasks and associated hazards and risks, our online data management system including the system’s mobile app, and the daily team and individual-based field level risk assessments. At Boart Longyear, it is everyone’s responsibility to work safely.”

Video: “Make it Safe | Make it Personal | Make it Home” 

For example, consider the first exploration drilling project that might take place on Mars. New variables such as lack of oxygen, space travel, and extreme climates make for a difficult work environment and unfamiliar conditions. But at the end of the day, what’s most important is a drill teams’ ability to communicate effectively throughout the duration of the project.

Regardless of the place or world where a drilling project is located, success starts and finishes with communication. 

Consider projects you have completed… how did communication affect the outcome?

Because we interact and associate with people every day, communication can often be overlooked as an essential factor of success. Here are seven tips for effective communication to help keep your team in check, and ultimately exceed project goals and objectives.

Onsite team communication starts with all members understanding the chain of communication. During the drilling process, communication starts and stops at the driller’s controls. The driller is responsible for   all procedures and tasks on the job site, and is aware of every process. The driller also prioritizes tasks and communicates this to the entire team.

This chain of communication works because the drill crew knows the driller is the starting point for every process. The driller is the first to observe changes downhole communicated by the drill rig and the tooling, and then he/she transfers critical information to the rest of the onsite team. 

In the past, it was not uncommon for the supervisor (foreman), driller, and the driller assistant to be the only crew members to understand the drilling process. The rest of the drill crew was only expected to understand the job site specific daily tasks, and general safety requirements.

The old-world argument warns that educating all members onsite can lead to the possibility of leaking job site information and trade secrets to the competition. This antiquated way of operating created an information silo of many under-invested employees.

A 21st-century drilling team understands that it’s more important to hire team members who exhibit honesty and integrity, increasing the level of trust and ensuring critical information remains safe.

Furthermore, a thoroughly educated drill team can interpret and react faster to a drill rig’s communication. These teams anticipate catastrophic rig failures or downhole issues and implement corrective measures. When a drill team is properly trained and understands the drilling process, its members can safely take preventative action to minimize problem events that could potentially impact the project. 

Aligning communication starts with all members onsite utilizing common job site terminology and safety language. That language changes depending on the region, rig manufacturer, and level of the crew’s professionalism.

Consider the four-letter word “STOP!”; it’s not uncommon for a drill crew from Wyoming full of horsemen to use another four-letter word “WOAH!” Both terms meaning, ‘halt all activities’ can be utilized safely when team members are aware of both interpretations and use.

Often 80% of all correspondence on a noisy construction site is non-verbal signals. Hand signals are also a beneficial form of communication if everyone is employing the same signs. Operators, along with spotters, must be able to see and signal each other when it’s challenging to hear verbal commands. An experienced drill team can operate safely and effectively for hours on site while speaking very few words and utilizing industry standard hand signals. Crews that use hoisting and heavy equipment operation signals have much lower near-miss and recordable incident rates than crews that use random hand signals like waving to one another. 

Effective external communication starts with knowing which type of customer is being engaged and what information they require. This dynamic changes due to confidential information. The project information relayed to the senior geologist or the project customer will rarely be the same as the information given to the neighboring landowner or the local public.

A drilling crew should have a defined communication plan that starts with asking who the visitor is, so they can understand why they are onsite, followed by directing the visitor to the right representative. The big fear is that ‘the new guy’ might relay incorrect data to the customer or pass on confidential information to a stranger. This is why it’s essential to have a strategic plan for external communications and remind the onsite drilling team of that communication plan daily.

On a “right-of-way project,” good communication begins with the team knowing all abnormal operating conditions for environmental, health, and safety (EHS) considerations and adherence.

An abnormal operating condition could be anything from an environmentally sensitive area, which would limit the hours of operation for equipment that reaches over 80 decibels of noise. If a rancher arrives onsite at dark with a flashlight saying that the drill is interrupting his livestock’s sleep, it is crucial to know the rules before engaging with him. 

Often on an established drilling site, this information is presented as a site-specific orientation by the customer. However, on smaller single-hole projects, the only EHS information is found in the contract.

Drilling is a disruptive process that changes the location forever. Once a drill starts cutting the ground, the chain of communication quickly expands from the customer, to possibly the neighboring property owner, to corporate officials, to regulatory government agencies. Each party requires different information to properly oversee job completion.

Complex projects in remote locations require a diverse staff of people to complete the job successfully. The men and women involved have a common goal of success, however, they have individual objectives and information to gather before the job is complete. When all parties involved understand their goals, and the goals of others through proper communication, project success increases exponentially.

Effective communication is fully understanding what is being said before answering. It’s easy to assume what information the customer wants and have a response ready, but often crucially relative information is lost while listening to respond.

Effective communication requires all parties on a project work together for best results. At the Advanced Rig Technology Conference hosted by the IADC, presenter David Kaplan, a NASA Engineer, spoke about the importance of NASA continuing to utilize pilots when moving humans in and out of space.

He said “You can’t engineer man out of the technology. It will cost you billions of dollars. However, the goal is to give them the right information through effective communication at the right time to make the best decision.”

NASA understands that men and women with the right information, working in collaboration with their team, can outperform and overcome any situation. Communication requires cooperation to be effective just as a drilling project can only be successful when the drill team, customer, neighbor, and regulator all work together.

Crews gave Denis Despres, COO, Brian Maeck, Global EHS Director, Fernando Riquelme, RD – LAM, Guillaume Dubuy, RD – EMEA, John Kirkwood, RD – APAC a heart felt site induction, not only discussing critical risk, but also what drives them to ensure safety excellence at work.

The crew took their time explaining the new Critical Risk Management program and associated site risks to visiting EXCO representatives, three Regional Directors and the Global EHS Director, further demonstrating their buy-in and passion towards safety.

Examples such as when the crew recognized that they were too close to a rock wall they, supported by the site EHS advisor, took it upon themselves to install a screen to catch loose rock. Every step of the way, the Chilean teams have thought about each process element, and truly have put safety first, not only impressing their BHP customer but also leadership from other Regions, and our Executives. I thank them all for their safety leadership and dedication in raising the bar.

-Brian Maeck

Site collateral – crews each had Critical Risk Management posters and cards with controls posted on the back; and confidently spoke about the associated risks on their site and process. They also directed the attention of the visitors to the 16 EHS Management Field Reference standards, highlighting applicable requirements.

Hand’s off! Crews do not touch rods or tubes to ensure fingers and hands are not injured in the process.

To learn more about Boart Longyear's contract Drilling Services, find your local Boart Longyear representative.

Lost Time Injury Rate:

Lost Time Incidents x 200,000
         Total Work Hours

2018 was a challenging year with new employees entering the business with generally less experience, which increased job task risk. Globally consistent hazard and risk-focused onboarding and a higher level of operational risk communication through soft-start initiatives, pre-shift information meetings, and field level risk assessments, has assisted in mitigating that risk, which can be seen in recent severity rates.

The company’s programs and simplified company field standards published in January 2018 ensured understanding of company safety expectations. Also, the full utilization of the company’s online data management system mobile app has the ability to track, trend, and identify data at-risk sites, which has helped the organization respond proactively before an injury occurs. Boart Longyear’s new lead indicator programs online saw a 93% success rate in 2018, further driving severity rates down. Over 5,000 management interactions were performed by global leadership, over 50,000 training courses were completed, and over 11,000 corrective actions were completed in the company’s online systems.

These programs have again evolved for 2019 by including the company’s first ever Critical Risk Management Program. Utilizing 10 years of taxonomy data, the organization identified six critical risks. The company will now use the mobile app for inspecting Critical Controls that must be in place to mitigate the identified risks.

Global Director of EHS and Training, Brian Maeck stated, “A lot of support for these programs have come from our operations group. Business leaders were the first ones to utilize the tools to ensure we all do our part in keeping our workforce safe. I could not be more pleased with the 2018 outcomes.”

To quantify drilling efficiencies, something must be measured. Which metrics mean the most and provide the best information on finding ways to improve performance and increase a mining company’s return on investment? This article focuses on the key metrics in exploration diamond core drilling: safety performance, schedule, price, and quality core recovery.

Safety is first and foremost. It’s a moral responsibility to provide the safest working conditions and a safety culture where each and every employee knows they have the right and the responsibility to stop any unsafe work. Boart Longyear’s investment in robust Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) programs pay off with consistently improving incident rates (having fewer reportable incidents) and lowered severity ratings of the incidents that occur.

An incident can be categorized as recordable or lost-time, but the severity rating is a key factor that insurance companies consider. This is their first indication of the actions and culture a contractor brings to the site. An ancillary benefit of improving incident rates is a lower insurance rate and these tangible cost savings from drilling safely are passed on to the client.

For customers, a contractor’s safety performance also affects the mine’s safety performance record. If there’s a haul truck incident, it doesn’t affect the drilling contractor, but if the drilling contractor has a recordable or lost time incident it affects both the safety performance of the drilling contractor and the customer (mine site) because it happened on the mine’s property.

Safety programs ensure that wherever a Boart Longyear driller or driller assistant goes to work, the client can expect the same safe results. That consistency and value in safety is a big reason clients choose Boart Longyear Drilling Services. The safety commitment, culture, and programs at Boart Longyear align with their own, and client-specific programs are easily embedded as Boart Longyear employees are well-versed in adopting and working within the highest safety standards.

When evaluating a contract’s value, it’s tempting to assume the hourly prices from the drilling contractor represent the total cost. This negates the value proposition of a well prepared, resourced, and time-sensitive contractor. There are additional costs to consider such as support staff including safety personnel, geology staff, and drilling program managers, as well as costs for drill pad construction, water hauling, supervision, drilling mud, surveying, and equipment rentals. While these costs aren’t in direct control of the drilling contractor, inefficient safety and operating practices can impact these additional costs and can easily overrun any initially perceived savings.  

A key metric affecting cost is the number of feet or meters drilled per shift. An estimate of feet/meters per shift is used to calculate the schedule based on the number of shifts required to complete the drilling program. The customer uses this calculation to schedule onsite support personnel, support equipment (dozers/helicopters etc.) and any other services for the program (camp/fuel etc.).

When the drilling contractor drills more efficiently, thus completing the drilling program in a shorter amount of time, the customer can leverage savings on their support costs. If the drilling takes longer and the schedule isn’t met, costs go up as a result of the drilling contractor being onsite longer to accomplish the required feet/meters. That’s the key metric – the footage based contract stays the same, but costs go up if the drilling contractor takes longer to achieve the feet/meters needed. The drilling contractor still gets paid roughly the same amount, but the customer’s costs go up.  A recent example of this had a Boart Longyear crew jump into an unfinished project after the initial, lower-priced contractor struggled to complete what should have been a six-week project. At week eight and only 1/3 of the way complete, Boart Longyear was called in and completed the remaining drilling for the project in only four weeks.

Boart Longyear Drilling Services is currently measuring all the different increments that make up a 12-hour shift to find efficiencies in each of those individual steps – bit on bottom, charging the rods, wireline time, shift changes, transportation, mud programs, etc. By measuring each step in the drilling program, additional efficiencies can be identified and savings shared with the customer.

For example, wireline activity takes up a significant amount of time during each shift. It’s necessary to retrieve the core, but how can we do it faster – how can we pull the tube faster without damaging the hole or slipping core? Can we figure out a way to make the tube head drop faster without knocking the crown off the bit when the tube lands?

This is part of Boart Longyear’s commitment to Operational Excellence, a program in place using the Hard Work Cycle – achieving drilling efficiencies through continually looking for ways to improve processes and think outside the box.

Downtime can be a big schedule issue and directly affects the fixed costs of having support equipment and personnel onsite during the drilling program. Minimizing downtime is a key goal. From the contractor’s perspective, the loss of billable time directly impacts the bottom line. 

The lack of production also adds unbudgeted costs to the client’s program, a clear lose-lose situation. Having a solid preventable maintenance program and an adequate inventory of critical spare parts is a positive hedge against what can occur.

Boart Longyear Drilling Services has protocols and processes for what’s called a “rig-down” status. It is all-hands on deck to get the issue resolved. Whether it’s a hydraulic failure, an engine has gone down, or some other breakdown like a staffing issue, there’s a sense of urgency to ensure the customer is served in the best possible way. Whether it’s mechanical or otherwise, the protocol is to get the issue resolved within 24 hours. If that means someone or something needs to get on a plane, that’s what happens to keep downtime to a minimum. A good preventive maintenance program helps, but it’s what you do in the face of a breakdown that matters.

Core recovery is the end product. It’s ultimately what the customer is paying for, so this metric is key to measure the drilling program’s success. If there’s not quality core in the box, there’s no value to the customer. In the end, the data from that core is the value to the mine.  If core recovery is insufficient, so is the value provided.

Drilling and retrieving quality core depends on the expertise of the driller and the condition of the tooling and equipment. First, the driller’s knowledge and understanding of the ground conditions is imperative. This information guides the driller’s decisions in selecting the correct equipment, tooling, bits, etc. to smoothly drill, penetrate quickly, and recover the core intact.

In addition, Boart Longyear operates a robust drilling fluids management plan. The mud program incorporates the driller’s knowledge of the ground condition and the challenges it presents. Understanding the ground condition and the equipment, the driller tunes into his drill using his instrumentation and the feedback the rig provides to analyze what is happening downhole. For complicated and technically challenging ground conditions, where core recovery is not going as planned, Boart Longyear drillers leverage the experience of the drilling fluids company. Reputable drilling fluids providers can send out an engineer to check the drilling fluids systematically. The old saying that two heads are better than one is key to solving core recovery issues. The two teams work together to figure out what changes to the fluids and drilling equipment are necessary to get the quality core recovery and penetration desired.

The driller also has to know his equipment, watching the gauges and listening to the rig, recognizing when it’s doing the job and when it isn’t. When encountering a core block – when the core just doesn’t want to penetrate up into the barrel – the driller can continue drilling, but all he’s doing is grinding up the core. Instead of drilling 5 feet and getting 4 inches of core recovery he can stop and look for answers. This is a big step for drillers who are paid according to productivity. Drillers are programmed (you could even say they’re wired) to get the most productivity. It takes a smart and knowledgeable driller to stop going after the feet/meters and deliver maximum value by stopping to focus on core recovery.  In difficult ground, it’s best to pause and evaluate the core barrel assembly, drilling technique, and the drilling fluids program. That practical approach ensures value to the customer.

To learn more about retrieving quality core, listen to INSITE Podcast Episode 4: Quality Core, where 35-year industry veteran, Robert Jex, discusses the importance of quality core, how things can sometimes go wrong when retrieving core, the impact of not retrieving quality core, and some troubleshooting tips for core recovery.

Through the years, new innovative technologies have helped improve drilling efficiency. For example, the Genuine Q Wireline core retrieval system introduced by Boart Longyear back in 1953 revolutionized the diamond drilling industry. The system increased productivity on the work site and made tripping core from the bottom of the hole safer for the drilling assistant. The advantages of the genuine Q system quickly generated industry-wide adoption of Boart Longyear’s wireline technology.

Boart Longyear consumables have been equally innovative. The recently launched XQ wireline coring rod threads are stronger, last longer, and provide easier make and break for improved productivity and bottom line savings. 

XQ wireline coring rod

The high productivity coring system features a W-Wall coring rod which is 30% lighter – increasing depth capacity and reducing driller fatigue when manually tripping rods. The new NXQ and HXQ W-Wall coring rods feature patent-pending, double-upset tubing, with faster wireline tripping speed. The Quick Descent head assembly and the industry-leading Longyear color series diamond coring bits are also examples of recent innovations that improve productivity. Each system component increases shift capacity and productivity, delivering increased efficiencies.

Industry-leading top drive coring rigs and hands-free rod handling equipment offers both productivity and safety. Answering the demand for innovative rod handling, the FREEDOM Loader and top drive coring rig combinations provide simple and fast rod tripping that is 100% hands-free.

Additionally, Boart Longyear has invested in an Operational Excellence team and platform for continuous improvement to develop the next generation of efficiency and productivity enhancements in the mineral exploration industry. A key component of the Operational Excellence mindset is the Hard Work Cycle and reporting. The Hard Work Cycle reporting includes meeting with clients to go over feet/meters per shift, any downtime hours and the cause. Reviewing the metrics with our clients and showing areas where we can improve productivity on our side and theirs provides a unique and compelling transparency.

For example, measuring all of the aspects of a drill site might give visibility to the number of hours of lost drilling/productivity resulting from site access issues. Blasting, ventilation issues, and cage delays are examples of issues affecting productivity that are controlled by the client, but working together minimizes their impact and increases drilling efficiency.

The beauty of measuring drilling metrics is that you have data to discuss what’s happening on the drill site and look for ways to improve efficiencies and lower costs. Boart Longyear knows that it’s all about providing the maximum value to the customer.

The biggest metric that might impact whether you win additional contracts is, “Are they happy with the outcomes of the drilling program?” Was the project completed safely, on schedule, providing quality core that provided the information necessary to make decisions about future exploration or mine development? Were any issues resolved to their satisfaction and transparent reporting provided?

Drilling metrics matter because key performance indicators measure how well a customer was served. Measuring what was delivered quantifies the customer’s satisfaction and provides goals for future projects.

Drills are driven, flown, and hand-carried into remote locations to help discover and define precious resources. Drill teams leave their families and the safety of modern technology to help search for the next big strike. The satisfaction of being part of the bigger picture is incredibly rewarding, but nothing is more rewarding than returning home and sharing the adventure with friends and family. Being part of an exploration team takes extensive training, knowledge, and trust. From the first day of employment, team members are trained in proper operating procedures and safety of each task required of them. They build knowledge from each project they complete, building a wide range of competencies and the ability to problem solve onsite issues.

As the years go by, the employee moves from novice to veteran, offering years of experience to help complete the most demanding projects. In the drilling industry, the more experience an employee has, the more they become invaluable. Training is the base and knowledge creates the structure of a great team member, but trust is what keeps all projects moving forward to the end goal. It’s confidence in each other, from the new hire to the twenty-year veteran that they will operate safely. If a team member sees an unsafe act, they will say, “STOP” before that act potentially becomes an incident.  Boart Longyear utilizes the Stop Work Authority which empowers all team members, regardless of seniority, to stop work anytime there is an unsafe condition. . Knowing that your colleagues have your back, and you have theirs, allows for safe and productive work. Proper utilization of the Stop Work Authority maintains a safe job site; yet there are moments on every project that someone should have said “STOP,” but it never happened. What prevents an employee from speaking up? Let’s drill down into three safety scenarios from different companies and projects around the world that can help teach employees to speak up.   

Drilling requires employees who are mentally and physically tough. The job requires men and women who can work in a wide range of weather conditions, completing demanding tasks like tripping pipe and handling casing. In the past, when a job becomes too difficult to complete the other team members will shout to “Man up” or other unwelcomed words of encouragement. On a cathodic protection well project in west Texas, two team members were attempting to remove a 12” tricone bit from a stabilizer while the tooling was in the table. After several unsuccessful attempts to unscrew the bit, employee A told employee B to use the 48” aluminum pipe on the table. Employee B knew that the wrench was the wrong tool for the job and as he started to explain that, employee A said, “Man up, stop being afraid.” On the second attempt to free the bit the wrench exploded with the handle hitting employee B above the left eye requiring 18 stitches. Two other team members watched the entire event happen without speaking up or saying, “STOP.” Drilling is a rough and tough job where no one onsite wants to look weak. However, that is how accidents have the potential to become fatal. All team members onsite had the proper training to say, “Stop. This is the wrong tool for the job.” A good safety culture starts with eliminating the “man up” ways of operating and replaces it with team members who trust one another. Team members who are willing to speak up when a procedure is unsafe. Man up can quickly become man down when no one speaks up.

Drilling is a skill that is developed over years of experience; often the driller on site has triple the experience as the new hire. On a coring project in the Atacama desert, a drill crew was setting up the rig for their third 1,000 meter hole. The driller attached the mud hose to the pump and prepared to start pumping drill fluid. Several hours into the first shift of the new hole, the mud line blew off the pump, striking a helper and knocking him to the ground. 

Learn more about Boart Longyear's safety culture of individual empowerment and how everyone is responsible for safety in the Make it Safe video.

The helper suffered a small laceration and bruising. An accident investigation uncovered that the whip check safety cable was not attached per standard operating procedure. An employee onsite said that before joining his new crew they always connected the wire but his new driller and crew did not attach the cables on the previous two holes. The employee thought the driller knew best for his rig and did not speak up. Safe projects are the most efficient, and safety depends on following proper procedures every time. All employees on site should have said, “STOP” on the first and second hole when the safety cable was not attached. 

Drilling is a complex process requiring every team member onsite to be focused on the tasks at hand. Rotating tooling, suspended tooling overhead, slips, trips, and falls are just a short list of hazards while working around a drill rig. On a construction project just outside downtown Toronto, a two-person team drilled 6” auger holes to 17 meters. The two had worked together for over ten years on similar projects across Canada. It was a rainy Tuesday morning, and the team had five holes to complete for the day. The team would switch roles from driller to helper after each hole, allowing both employee A and employee B the opportunity to work in both positions. After the second hole, employee A noticed on social media on his smartphone that a family member had been injured in a car accident. As the team progressed onto hole three, employee B was drilling as employee A was preparing augers. Employee B could tell that employee A was not himself, but they continued to work. As they connected the final auger, employee A put his hand on the head while employee B was still drilling and employee A smashed his pinky and ring finger. When employee A was asked what happened, and why he would place his hand in a pinch point, he was at a loss. He further explained that the car accident photos on social media had him thinking about his family and not the job. Smartphones give us the ability to be updated on situations in a moment’s notice and because of this technology we can physically be on the job site and mentally be somewhere else. Employee B said at the accident investigation that she knew something was wrong but did not speak up. After the fact, employee B said she should have shut down the rig and let employee A take time to find out the severity of the injured family member. The Stop Work Authority is designed to stop unsafe acts, and sometimes that act can be checking to make sure a colleague is mentally safe.

In each scenario, there was a moment where an accident could have been prevented by saying “STOP.” No one starts the work day with the intent to be unsafe or injured. In general, accidents happen from a lack of training, a lapse in judgment, complacency, or being distracted. Some employees worry about that moment of awkwardness from stopping a colleague or being wrong about stopping a colleague. The moment of awkwardness that could occur by saying “STOP” is a feeling that is short-lived, compared to the memory of knowing you could have stopped the unsafe act before your colleague was injured or killed. That awkward feeling is far better than saying, “I am sorry” to the family of an injured or killed employee. The Stop Work Authority was created to prevent catastrophic events and to educate everyone on site. No team member will be upset by the use of a Stop Work Authority that was unnecessary. If that situation occurs, it is a perfect time to educate the team on the task and the risk involved. The level of risk increases by the distance to the nearest trauma center. Modern medicine has significantly increased patients’ odds of fully recovering from a catastrophic injury. A worker who crushes his hand on a job site in downtown Los Angeles has an excellent chance of full recovery. However, a worker on a core rig in the Cascade Mountains has less than a 50% chance of keeping the appendage, let alone regaining mobility. Medical advances are only impactful if the injured can be treated immediately by a state-of-the-art trauma center. Saying “STOP” is always the right decision.  

To be a Boart Longyear employee is to know that safety is a core value. The ultimate goal of every project is to bring the team members home safely. Stop Work Authority works because of the trust the team has in one another. It creates a secondary safety net allowing everyone onsite the ability to say stop before an accident becomes catastrophic. Proper utilization and execution of the Stop Work Authority come from training, knowledge, and trust. Every person on a Boart Longyear job site is welcome and expected to speak up when they see an unsafe task. The Stop Work Authority is a powerful tool that creates an evolving safety culture that is actively improving upon itself every day. 

Learn more about Boart Longyear's safety culture of individual empowerment and how everyone is responsible for safety in the Make it Safe video.

Reducing risk in any situation can mean the difference between a healthy life and serious injury, or even death. Your head is especially vulnerable on the job site and is the reason hard hats are required to protect against the unexpected. It seems obvious, and after all that safety training it shouldn’t be a question whether to wear appropriate safety gear or not, yet head injuries from lack of wearing a hard hat still happen.

In an article entitled, “Hard Hats Protect Our Greatest Safety Device,” Brock Yordy, a global drill trainer and consultant, states, “We play a voluntary game of brain damage roulette any time we think it is OK to not wear a hard hat on any jobsite with overhead hazards.”

To properly protect your head, your hard hat should fit securely and be inspected daily. Originally published by National Driller, this article explains what to look for and why head protection is so vital. Some of the questions, observations, and tips given about hard hats could possibly save your life.

Take a closer look at this recommended reading by clicking here, “Hard Hats Protect Our Greatest Safety Device.”

Has your hard hat saved your life? Share an experience by clicking on the gray discussion bar below.

The opinions and recommendations contained in the recommended article are solely those of the author. This article has been used by permission. It can be found published on National Driller.