2018 IADC efforts in advocacy, training, safety all providing direct, positive impact

By Steven Brady, 2018 IADC Chairman

It has been my honor to serve as your IADC Chairman in 2018. As Chairman, I have had the opportunity to talk with and meet a diverse slice of our membership. As we close out this year, I am thankful for those experiences. They showed me that, as an industry, we share the same goals of safety and efficiency.

I began the year with a promise that our association would continue to focus on things that our industry has identified as key to our continued success – safety, environmental stewardship, technical resources and advocacy. It was an ambitious and lofty goal, as each of these areas is vast and technically difficult to achieve.

Yet, through the completion of several big projects and breakthroughs, together we have done an admirable job of achieving our goals.

In June, I was fortunate to attend the Washington, DC, fly-in, which provided the opportunity to participate in conversations with US elected officials about the state of our industry. It was an eye-opening experience into how the government works, but I walked away with a better appreciation for just how much education is needed for members of Congress, many of whom have no prior knowledge of oil and gas operations. I also walked away from the experience impressed with IADC’s advocacy activities in the US. Our push to have a voice and seat at the table with regulators and legislators in the US is proving successful.

Advocacy is an important part of IADC’s goals and a way in which the association offers value to members. Outside the US, our regional representatives have actively pursued member interests on topics specific to various geographies.

For instance, this year we were a leading voice with regard to the cabotage issue in Indonesia and with VAT implementation in the Middle East. We continue to engage in discussions with the director general of aviation in India on legislative requirements, and we maintain a relationship with the Danish Energy Agency on issues that affect our members. We also hosted our inaugural conference in Mexico, a country that holds significant promise, and we announced the revitalization of the Caspian Chapter, whose membership is rapidly growing.

Safety is another key goal of IADC. This year, I had a front-seat view of the work that is being done to achieve it. As our industry continues to slowly rebound from the downturn, we must keep a keen eye toward safety figures. Data from IADC’s own Incident Statistics Program from 2017 showed an increase in incidents – something we must take seriously no matter how slight the increase.

This year IADC introduced new and improved training programs that directly address safety. That attention to well control competency is still this industry’s most important safety issue. The IADC WellSharp program represents an important step forward in how we train and prepare personnel for roles with both direct and indirect well control responsibilities.

We are on track to have trained more than 100,000 industry personnel through WellSharp, an impressive number considering the program was introduced only three years ago. In 2018, we also introduced the WellSharp Well Servicing Introductory course to help ensure that the training is comprehensive. We also began the process of revamping the RigPass program to strengthen learning objectives and ensure that the materials are fresh and relevant.

On a personal level, I celebrated safety success with the IADC North Sea Chapter in April during its annual Safety Awards gala. It was motivating to speak with so many colleagues who are passionate about safety.

This year we also took a much more intense look at cybersecurity, establishing a new committee to tackle this challenge. The IADC Cybersecurity Committee understands the issues we face and is working to solve them.  I implore individuals who have knowledge on the topic to get involved with the committee, as their work will ultimately protect all IADC member companies from cyber attacks.

I could continue in this vein, touting the accomplishments of our association, but it would take far more space than this page to give an accurate portrayal of a year’s work. However, I do want to note that the work, the heavy lifting, is directly attributable to our members.

Your interest in donating your time and expertise to projects that will directly and positively impact our industry is admirable. I thank each and every one of you who contributed in any way to our association this year. IADC does not exist without the active, involved efforts of each of its members, and our success this year is not possible without it. I also want to truly thank the highly capable and dedicated team of full-time IADC staff members, whose efforts do not go unnoticed or unappreciated.

As I said at the start, it was an honor to have served as your Chairman this year, and I’m proud of what we have accomplished. Thank you for allowing me to serve in this role, and I look forward to maintaining an active membership within IADC well into the future. DC