American Oil and Gas Reporter - November 2015 - 116

ConventionSection: Arkansas Independent Producers & Royalty Owners

Companies Must Prioritize
Health, Safety Aspect
By Corinne Westeman

LITTLE ROCK, AR.-If an employer
wants workers to remember safety protocols, they should learn from emotional
storytelling, Arkansas energy leaders recommend.
During the Arkansas Independent Producers & Royalty Owners Association's
annual convention and meeting Oct. 6-7
at Little Rock's Embassy Suites Hotel,
the association hosted a "Safety Beyond
Compliance" panel. R.J. Goodman, EHS
& operations training manager for XTO
Energy Inc., suggested operators tell employees emotional stories during training
sessions because they provided not only
knowledge, but motivation.
"If you tell stories, it will allow them
to understand why these rules and regulations exist," Goodman explained. "That
way, people don't comply simply because
it is a rule, but because it connects to
their value system."
Goodman asked attendees whether
they incorporated similar methods into
their training sessions. One attendee responded that he included "personal testimonies" because they "are passionate
and come from the heart, so it sinks in
and (the trainees) walk away with something they remember, because they can
visualize it."
Goodman gave a hypothetical example
where an employee received computerbased regulations training, and then went
on a job site without the necessary monitoring equipment. "Even with all that
training, (the employee) probably would
be tempted to get the job done, rather
than be inconvenienced by going back
for the monitoring equipment," he detailed.
"But, if you give him personal experiences
about someone getting hurt because of
similar circumstances, he is more likely
to proceed safely."
Goodman encouraged AIPRO members to re-evaluate their training processes,
specifically looking at how much information employees had to learn, the amount
of time they had to learn it, and the way
that the information was delivered.
"Are we doing this (training) only to

be compliant?" he asked. "If we are, then
computer-based training is the most costeffective method. But, is that really effective? I don't believe so, and I think
we must be more than simply compliant.
We may be in the oil and gas business,
but our most precious resource isn't hydrocarbons; it is the people we work
with."
Goodman also asked specifically that
new-hire training and contractor training
be re-evaluated for effectiveness. When
managing contractors, he said employers
should set specific expectations with clear
and measurable results. "Measure what
matters," he encouraged. "For instance,
what is the general culture of the work
site? What are the people doing? Is there
a good sense of camaraderie? Are the
employees being productive and wellmanaged?"
He also recommended there be training
sessions or other times when all levels of
management could interact. "Everyone
in the company needs to know that you

116 THE AMERICAN OIL & GAS REPORTER

R.J. Goodman, EHS & operations training
manager for XTO Energy Inc., suggests
Arkansas operators tell employees emotional stories during training sessions
as motivation to remember safety protocols. Goodman spoke during the AIPRO
annual convention's "Safety Beyond
Compliance" panel, where he emphasized
the importance of effective training and
maintaining drug testing programs.

all are on the same page (regarding) training and communication," he exhorted.
"Otherwise, everything can be lost in
translation."

Drug Testing
Another issue Goodman touched on
was the importance of drug testing. "During a down market, many companies cut
down or completely eliminate their drug
testing procedures," he posed. "But, if
there is significant drug use on a job site,
it can lead to lost productivity and decreased morale."
He also pointed out that there tended
to be misconceptions about drug abuse
among employees. "It is not always the
so-called street drugs that you need to
watch for," Goodman said.
Instead, Goodman suggested-and said
many companies already were-employing
an expanded-panel drug testing procedure
that included prescription drugs such as
antidepressants, opiates, painkillers and
stimulants. "On the job site, prescription
drugs are second only to marijuana use,"
he confirmed. "Statistics tell me that in a
room of 100 people, two or three are addicted to prescription drugs."
He said that through drug testing, people sometimes learned to "face their
demons" and admit they were addicted
to prescription drugs. Goodman also suggested that employers offer a program or
confidential meetings for anyone who
had a problem with drug use before he
had to submit to drug testing.
Goodman urged AIPRO members to
maintain their 12-panel drug tests, if they
already were in place, or to upgrade to
tests for both street and prescription drugs.
"Most people probably could pick out
someone addicted to methamphetamine,"
Goodman said. "But it is harder to notice
employees who are addicted to prescription
drugs, and who are costing us time,
money, and efficiency.
"Drugs not only affect us as companies,
but they affect families tragically every
day," he concluded.
Metal Thefts
During AIPRO's meeting, Arkansas

American Oil and Gas Reporter - November 2015

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