Over the past few months, I have visited several drilling operations where I have identified a very concerning lack of understanding of the function and operation of the pressure relief valve (PRV) that is fitted to circulation pumps on diamond core drill rigs.
Read MoreWatch this webinar where you will learn a simple yet effective structure for your SOPs and how to develop an effective one.
Read MoreIf you missed our webinar on “How to develop an effective SOP”, here is a quick infographic to summarise what you missed. Sign up to DrillSafe to receive updates on when this webinar will be happening again.
Read MoreSection 21 of the Mine Health and Safety Act (MHSA) addresses the responsibilities of manufacturers and suppliers - why should this be of any interest to you?
Read MoreDo you know what legislation regulates exploration activities in South Africa? Do you what responsibilities the legislation places on you as a supplier, manufacturer, contractor or geologist? Do you know what your liability is?
Read MoreI am one of the luckiest people in the exploration industry because I get to visit the drilling operations of a number of contractors in a variety of countries. I get to see shallow diamond core operations, deep coring operations, dual-tube reverse circulation and rotary percussion operations.
Read MoreThe supervisor is arguably the most important person in a drilling operation and the knowledge, skills, experience and attitude of the supervisor directly impacts every aspect of the operation but particularly health and safety performance.
Read MoreThe safety officer is a key role-player in the identification and mitigation of real hazards and risks on a drill site. It is not possible to identify and mitigate risk in a drilling operation if one does not have at least a fundamental understanding of the processes involved in drilling!
Read MoreThe exploration drilling industry is undoubtedly experiencing significant pressure to improve levels of safety performance through the implementation of a number of safety innovations…
Read MoreThe exploration drilling industry is undoubtedly experiencing significant pressure to improve levels of safety performance through the implementation of a number of safety innovations such as hands-free rod handling, remote control of drill rigs, above ground sump systems, cameras and wrench-free drill sites amongst others.
Read MoreThe exploration drilling industry is undoubtedly experiencing significant pressure to improve levels of safety performance through the implementation of a number of safety innovations such as hands-free rod handling, remote control of drill rigs, above ground sump systems, cameras and wrench-free drill sites amongst others.
Read MoreThe exploration drilling industry is undoubtedly experiencing significant pressure to improve levels of safety performance through the implementation of a number of safety innovations such as hands-free rod handling…
Read MoreThe exploration drilling industry is undoubtedly experiencing significant pressure to improve levels of safety performance through the implementation of a number of safety innovations such as hands-free rod handling, remote control of drill rigs, above ground sump systems, cameras and wrench-free drill sites amongst others.
Read MoreWe are all familiar with nylon ropes, these ropes are commonly known as ski ropes and are used in many everyday applications. Nylon ropes stretch a great deal and so they store a great deal of energy when under load.
Read MoreThe second alternative to standard steel wire ropes is ultra-high strength steel wire rope.
Read MoreChris made contact with DrillSafe and said he had been reading an article on the website and he decided to write a comment, which turned out be more of an article than a comment about safety. So, Chris shared his thoughts with us and we are delighted to share them with you!
Read MoreThe Oxford English dictionary defines a standard operating procedure (SOP) as: “A series of actions conducted in a certain order or manner”.
Read MoreI can hear many people muttering that all these standard operating procedures (SOPs) are just making more work for the already overworked contractors and they are not necessary – “our guys know what to do”.
Read MoreA standard operating procedure (SOP) is essentially made up of two parts: the front end: which will include detail about the purpose of the SOP, applicable legislation etc.; the body: which details the tasks, the hazards and the actual steps to be followed.
Read MoreThe very first step is to clearly define the scope of the SOP, for example; “Tripping the drillstring using the main hoist on an Atlas Copco CS14 drill rig” or “Tripping the drillstring using the main hoist on a Sandvik DE710 drill rig”.
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