It’s quite something to think that hand impact protection in the US oil and gas industry didn’t exist before 2007, a mere 17 years ago. This means there are many drillers, tool pushers, and rig managers over the age of 35 who remember starting out as roustabouts back when impact protection simply didn’t exist. Maybe that includes you, reading this.
Let’s take a moment to remember how hazardous working on an oil rig would have been back before impact protection…
Being a roustabout takes skill and smarts, for sure. But it’s also tough physical work with plenty of exposure to the elements and lots of handling heavy machinery. In fact, let’s take a look at some common tasks:
All of these come with a high risk of dropping heavy items on hands, getting fingers trapped between equipment, and more. That’s not to mention the risk of cuts, abrasions, and punctures. Let’s not forget that roustabouts will typically work up to 12 hours at a time, often in rough weather, and work in two-week stretches without a day off.
To think that for decades, these guys were expected to carry out all these tasks under these conditions without any impact protection. Seems crazy today – until we also start to think about some of the everyday tasks that need dexterity. These are tasks such as fastening ropes, tying tie wraps, and using sling shackles.
While wearing gloves with TPR protection are great for impact protection, they can make it difficult to work with the dexterity needed for finer jobs. So in one way, we can see why it took so long to adopt impact protection gloves – because that could potentially make trickier jobs more difficult to complete in a timely manner. But let’s look at the role many roustabouts are promoted to…
The roughneck – or floorhand – job is often the next step in an oil rig worker’s career. Let’s look at the tasks commonly involved:
Again, we can see a blend of high impact risk activities and smaller, finer tasks requiring dexterity. Given the amount of grease and oil that would typically end up on a roughneck’s hands, it’s a marvel that they could accomplish many of these tasks in the days before gloves offered them a sure oil-resistant grip.
Now think of the experience of a derrickhand working on the rig in the days before impact protection. For a start, they’d typically be several stories above the platform on the rig handling the drill pipe.
They’ll guide the stands of drill pipe into the fingers at the top of the derrick while tripping out of the hole. When running in, they pull the pipe out of the fingers and guide it into the elevators suspended from the top drive.
All of these activities naturally require strong and reliable grip under often difficult weather conditions, and for several times over a 12-hour shift. The same is true for some of the derrickman’s other duties, for example maintaining and repairing shale shakers and mud pumps.
Just like the previous roles, there is significant potential danger from heavy equipment – especially if it slips. Yet the derrickhand also needs good dexterity, which again can sometimes be compromised by TPR impact protection.
Now let’s look at the role of a driller. Safety on the job is a key concern here, as the driller works in a supervisory capacity. If this is you, you may well remember the days when you worked without any impact protection!
Now those days are long gone, and looking after the safety of everyone onsite is a major task, with impact risk a key consideration here.
These guys have the responsibility to shut down a well if there’s an emergency related to pressure build-ups and gas levels. Ensuring that workers on the rig are wearing the right protective equipment is also part of the job.
And however much some drillers may grumble, they all know how important this is. Many a time in years gone by a driller would have had to watch one of their roustabouts get their hands crushed under heavy equipment, or a derrickhand get their fingers trapped when a pipe slipped out of control.
Even today, hand injuries may cause a well to shut down if they are serious enough.
Similar to the drillers, the role of the tool pusher is all about ensuring the rig has all the equipment, tools – yes, and protective equipment – that it needs to carry out the drilling.
The safety of rig workers is an absolute priority to a good tool pusher. After all, many of them will have seen their fair share of impact injuries in the past and will be keenly aware of the importance of the right gloves for the right roles. Not just when it comes to protection, but also the need for comfortable gloves that offer the right amount of dexterity.
If we’re being completely open here, we all know that while worker safety on a rig is of utmost importance, there are still times when workers may be tempted to remove gloves for finer jobs to get them done more quickly.
Dexterity and comfort have been key secondary threads running through this article. After all, we all know the importance of quality safety equipment for protecting workers during long, tough shifts. But anyone who’s worked the job will be just as aware of the need for dexterity for finer tasks that require good coordination.
That’s why Tilsatec has worked together with KOROYD to develop the future of impact protection – a glove that real-life derrickhands, roustabouts, and floorhands have rated excellent for comfort, dexterity, feeling and fit.
