The International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC) was meeting in San Antonio, Nov. 4-6 to celebrate its 75th anniversary. As the authoritative body for the drilling industry, the association set an overarching strategy of maintaining delivery of value to members during the downturn, preparing to rapidly increase delivery of value to members in the upturn and sustaining delivery of high value into the future.

“We’ve been going for 75 years. We certainly have a longer view in the sense that we know an upturn is coming. Our members are fi ghting to stay alive in the downturn. As IADC we know that in previous upturns this means spikes in incidents on rigs and the safety of returning crews. What can we do now for companies to ensure that they’re going to have better crews coming
back? We’ve got programs about new entrants and how to get them in the industry safely,” said Stephen Colville, IADC president and CEO.

The 75th anniversary is a milestone the association should signify and celebrate. “However, we are on a continuum. The sun is going to come up tomorrow, and we’ll still be drilling tomorrow. We have to carry on. Our industry is built on the shoulders of giants,” he emphasized.

“We saw Kenny Baker and celebrated him for what he’s done. He’s a giant. You don’t have to be a CEO for a corporation to be a giant. Somebody that makes a material difference is a giant,” he continued.

Baker, drilling superintendent at Cactus Drilling Co., is the example of a giant that Colville mentioned. He was awarded the IADC Chairman’s 75th Anniversary Award for individuals who have made a direct impact on improved performance for their company through a project or personal effort. The award is given every fi ve years as part of the association’s anniversary celebrations.

As part of Baker’s efforts, 42 employees are alive today because of his development of a tornado shelter as part of Cactus Drilling’s equipment. He designed an anchoring system for the change shack on a rig that could withstand an EF5 tornado. Not only could this system save lives, it did—twice—and 42 people are alive because of it.

On May 24, 2011, two Cactus rigs were in the path of an EF5 tornado with 210-mph winds. Cactus Rig 117 took a direct hit. Because that anchored change shack was onsite, 12 men were saved to go home to their families. When they walked out of that shelter, what they saw was unbelievable damage. The rig was down. The 100,000-lb rotary table was on top of the mud pits. The BOP stack, as shown in the photo, was twisted out of shape. But the men were safe.

Now the anchored change shack is standard equipment on Cactus rigs, especially in tornado alley in Oklahoma. That’s what IADC giants do.

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