F
ire‑fighters, police, ER physicians and military pilots confirm the only way to prepare
for an emergency is to practice it – repeatedly and frequently. Well control is no
exception.
The oil and gas business drives our global economy, and the world simply cannot afford
another well control disaster. Yet it is well known that skills, if unused, deteriorate over time.
Can you think of any important human endeavour in which a high level of competency can
be maintained by practicing it only once every two years? Unlikely. And yet, that is the
accepted standard for something as significant as well control.
Yes, effective well planning and real time monitoring technologies drastically reduce
the likelihood of well control crises. But as recent history has so painfully illustrated,
they do not eliminate them.
Troy Kehoe, Check-6 International, USA, looks at how regular
training can help build and sustain well control competency.
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