“Baby, It’s Cold Outside” doesn’t begin to describe winters in Wyoming, Alberta and many other parts of the world. Winter lows average well below zero, whatever scale you’re using. It’s why detailed training, safety, planning and teamwork are literally life-and-death issues as we help keep water, wastewater, gas distribution, and of course oil and gas production flowing - in even the coldest, and hottest areas of the globe.

Ask anyone that works outside in temps around 110 degrees in the complete dust and heat of summer in the Texas, or well below zero in Canada - no one leaves the yard without extensive training, preparation, and a carefully checked list, but there are still many, many safety risks to consider before venturing out.

Monitoring and controlling the traditional pump jacks you see bowing and rising along oilfield roads has some limitations. But today, through digital transformation, we’re using data to improve management of all wells, including the rod-pumped variety

A flowing well with a low gas-to-oil ratio needs little hands-on management, but you still need to track production and watch for pump failures or rod parts. Remote monitoring removes the need for a pumper to visually inspect the site daily—and it removes the chances that the well could break down right after he drives away, leaving it unproductive for a day or so.

Benjamin Franklin once said, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” 

As most things in life, planning can make a world of difference when it comes to systems failing. But when it comes to human safety involved in those fails that only highlights the importance of planning ahead to be ready for anything.

One of my favorite sayings is 'hope for the best, but plan for the worst.' This is extremely important for natural gas distribution because planning ahead could save lives, lots of human lives. Which is why it's critical when considering a secondary system in case your primary system stops functioning.