News Cuttings
North Sea chapter-led taskforce addresses mental health at inaugural meeting
The Mental Health in Energy taskforce, led by the IADC North Sea Chapter, held its first meeting on 7 September as a tie-in with the 2023 Offshore Europe conference. The taskforce had previously published the Mental Health and Wellbeing Charter, which addresses how companies should help manage the mental health of their personnel.
Darren Sutherland, IADC North Sea Chapter Chair, said companies need to ensure personnel are not forgotten about amid the tools and technologies being showcased at Offshore Europe.
“While the tools on display will be able to drive the energy sector forward, they depend on the human capital that drives the industry,” Mr Sutherland said, urging more companies to sign up to the charter.
Companies like Aker Solutions, Expro, Ithaca Energy, Proserv and Borr Drilling have all pledged to support the movement, which was launched in an effort to drive cultural change in how the energy sector approaches mental health.
“We want companies to sign up because they want to make a difference to the industry. There is a positive return on this investment for firms that sign up, adopt and embrace the challenge of tackling poor mental health. Enhanced mental health can lead to more productivity among staff, fewer days off and a happier environment to work in. Above all else, it can help save lives.”
Click here to access the IADC Mental Health & Wellbeing Charter.
IADC launches new proctor service for WellSharp Live
To maintain the integrity of WellSharp Live exams and create a successful experience for test takers, IADC has implemented a new WellSharp Live proctor service. The service, provided by M&R Audit Group, utilizes the Proctor360 system and went live on 1 October.
This change is expected to bring improvements regarding ease of use, functionality, proctor availability and overall support.
Proctor360 supports multiple web browsers – including Google Chrome, Firefox and Microsoft Edge – and does not require a software download. Trainees will be able to communicate with their proctor and instructor via text and/or audio chat if help is needed during the exam session.
Technical and customer support will be available 24/7. English, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese-speaking proctors and customer service representatives will be available to assist during the exams.
Cybersecurity Committee establishes five workgroups to develop assessments
In September, the IADC Cybersecurity Committee began work on two proposed assessments: a cybersecurity program maturity assessment and an assessment of cybersecurity on the rig site. The committee created five workgroups: Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond and Recover. These categories correspond with the framework established by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Bakken trip lets students tour rigs, learn about life on rigs
In September, 14 student members of the IADC and SPE chapters at the University of North Dakota (UND) participated in the school’s annual four-day UND Petroleum Engineering Bakken Field Trip.
As part of the trip, students visited a Hess well pad in the Bakken. They also visited the Hess-operated Nabors Rig X24 in Ray, ND, and the ConocoPhillips-operated Nabors Rig B06 in Watford City, ND.
Students also visited Creedence Energy Service, a production chemical company specializing in scale remediation and production stimulation treatments, and an Energy Transfer pipeline facility. Further, they received a presentation from TrainND Northwest, a training network division of Williston State College that provides safety and technical training.
The students also stopped by a Key Energy Services facility, where they learned about workover operations for wells, met with rig crews and learned more about rig life. The visit allowed them to watch a four-person crew rig up a 107-ft workover rig in less than 20 minutes.
