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Drilling in Tornado Alley: A firsthand account of a rig manager who had to take cover | Helmerich and Payne

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Drilling in Tornado Alley: A firsthand account of a rig manager who had to take cover | Helmerich and Payne

While my children can sometimes be compared to small tornados, that’s not what I mean. Tony’s account of his experience demonstrates the importance of staying aware and alert at all times, with the safety of those you’re responsible for as your highest calling. The demands of the job are high – around the clock, for the both of us, there’s a job to do. Drilling rigs are inherently exposed to the elements.


Equipment must be designed to withstand some of the most severe environmental conditions, with drilling taking place in nearly all climates around the globe. Desert sands in the Middle East provide constant sandblasting effect and rigs must be outfitted with larger tires to move efficiently from one location to the next. Feet of snow can accumulate in the northernmost rig sites. Maybe you’ve seen North Sea TikTok? As the Shale Boom has progressed in the United States, unconventional long lateral wells are drilled in areas that encounter severe thunderstorms and tornadoes on a regular basis.


As a native Oklahoman, I’ve grown up knowing how to “take cover” during a tornado warning, but most Oklahomans have never actually experienced being in the path of a tornado. Crews on drilling rigs must expect tornadoes as a very real possibility, and Tony Maynard, H&P employee of 17 years and Rig Manager of over a decade, can give a firsthand account of a tornado hitting his drilling rig. “I definitely won’t forget April 19, 2023. We had just started running our production string casing, there was roughly 21,000 feet of pipe in there.


We had 2,500 feet of casing in the hole. Between my superintendent calling in to just tell me to watch over the weather, and my safety people were doing it as well. We knew something bad was coming our way. I was watching it too when I realized it was coming in our direction.” Drilling sites are host to a high activity operation. Depending on the stage of the well, the operator and drilling contractor, there are a number of various third-party service companies coming and going on location in order to complete their task. “The superintendent was trying to get to us, but it was pretty bad all around there – roadblocks everywhere.


If we resumed operations and something were to happen to somebody out there, we wouldn’t be able to get any help to them. We shut down operations that night and waited until the next morning to assess the situation.” The next day, Engineering arrived, drones in tow. “We had damage to the derrick board. We ended up laying down casing after the engineers came out with drones. It all had to be inspected before we could even move the blocks. And before the crew could even go up, we had a drone inspect pens and make sure nothing was torn loose.” After a thorough inspection, it was determined that the damage incurred to the derrick board was severe enough to warrant a change out.


Once the tasks of laying down casing and drill pipe were completed, the derrick was then lowered and replaced. The crew was cleared to resume drilling ahead. “Yeah, that was April 19. Then on May 11, we had another one, right across the highway from us. You could chunk a rock at it.” Drilling in remote locations – whether in the middle of the ocean, the middle of a rainforest, or the middle of rural Oklahoma – brings its own set of issues when inclement weather takes place. Multiple methods of monitoring exist in the event that systems are unavailable.


The Starlink satellite system on all H&P rigs, storm radios, high tech rig phones, and even a basic antenna for local channels all ensure accurate and up to date weather information is available. Read out the full HSE News from here: https://bit.ly/3vsbhSH or you can also download the article from here: https://bit.ly/3U1Pzhu. Contact us to know more about our HSE News: https://bit.ly/452JYdl.

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