1566 – Directional Drill Operator Safety Training

Description

1566 – Directional Drill Operator Safety Training

A.R.G. Construction, Safety & Health provides Directional Drill Operator Safety Training designed to provide participants with the knowledge and practical understanding necessary to safely operate horizontal directional drilling (HDD) equipment used for underground installation of utilities, conduit, telecommunications, electrical systems, water and sewer lines, gas distribution, pipelines, and other applicable trenchless construction operations.

Horizontal directional drilling operations can expose operators and ground personnel to underground utilities, electrical contact, rotating drill components, high-pressure drilling fluid, hydraulic systems, moving machinery, pinch and crush points, drill rods, breakout systems, unstable ground, traffic, excavation hazards, and other serious hazards. This training program addresses equipment familiarization, pre-operation inspection, jobsite planning, underground utility avoidance, drilling operations, drill-string handling, bore tracking, drilling-fluid systems, hazardous-energy control, manufacturer requirements, and operator responsibilities.

Course Topics Include:

• Introduction to Horizontal Directional Drilling Safety
• Operator Responsibilities
• Horizontal Directional Drill Types and Configurations
• Compact HDD Equipment Awareness
• Large Directional Drill Awareness
• Trenchless Construction Applications
• Equipment Familiarization
• Manufacturer Instructions and Operator Manual
• Operator Station and Controls
• Drilling Controls and Instrumentation
• Thrust and Pullback Systems
• Rotational Systems
• Drill-Rod / Drill-Pipe Systems
• Rod-Loading Systems
• Breakout / Vise Systems
• Drill Head and Tooling Awareness
• Reamer Awareness
• Drilling-Fluid Systems
• Safety Devices and Emergency Stops
• Pre-Operation Equipment Inspection
• Track / Undercarriage Inspection
• Drill-Frame Inspection
• Rod-Loader Inspection
• Breakout-System Inspection
• Hydraulic-System Inspection
• Drilling-Fluid Pump and Hose Inspection
• Electrical-System Awareness
• Grounding / Electrical Safety Systems Awareness, When Equipped
• Work-Area Inspection
• Bore-Path Planning
• Entry and Exit Point Planning
• Ground and Soil Conditions
• Machine Positioning
• Machine Stability
• Anchoring and Setup Awareness
• Safe Startup Procedures
• Underground Utility Awareness
• Utility-Locate Procedures Awareness
• 811 / One-Call System Awareness
• Review of Available Utility Information
• Utility Markings and Tolerance Zones
• Private Utility Awareness
• Verification / Potholing / Daylighting Awareness
• Gas Utility Hazards
• Electrical Utility Hazards
• Water and Sewer Utility Hazards
• Telecommunication Utility Hazards
• Pipeline and Industrial Utility Awareness
• Unknown / Unmarked Utility Hazards
• Cross-Bore Awareness
• Safe Bore-Path Selection
• Minimum Separation Awareness
• Overhead Power-Line Awareness
• Electrical Strike Prevention
• Electrical Strike Response Awareness
• Operator Protective Procedures During Electrical Contact
• Ground-Personnel Electrical Safety Awareness
• Step and Touch Potential Awareness
• Drilling Fundamentals
• Pilot Bore Operations
• Drill-Head Steering Awareness
• Drill-String Rotation
• Thrust and Pullback Forces
• Bore Tracking and Locating Awareness
• Communication Between Drill Operator and Locator
• Radio Communication
• Loss-of-Communication Procedures
• Drill-Rod Handling
• Automated Rod-Loading Systems
• Manual Rod-Handling Hazards
• Rotating Drill-String Hazards
• Entanglement Hazards
• Pinch-Point Hazards
• Crush-Zone Hazards
• Caught-In / Caught-Between Hazards
• Breakout / Vise Hazards
• Keeping Personnel Clear of Rotating Components
• Machine Guarding
• Reaming Operations
• Back-Reaming Awareness
• Product Pullback Operations
• Pullback Force Awareness
• Pipe / Conduit Handling
• Swivel and Connection Awareness
• Rigging Awareness During Pullback
• Suspended Load Awareness
• Drilling-Fluid Fundamentals
• Drilling-Fluid Mixing Awareness
• Drilling-Fluid Pump Operation
• High-Pressure Fluid Hazards
• Hose and Connection Safety
• Pressure Release Before Servicing
• Drilling-Fluid Additive / SDS Awareness
• Skin and Eye Protection
• Slip and Fall Hazards
• Drilling-Fluid Spill Prevention
• Environmental Protection Awareness
• Inadvertent Return / Fluid Release Awareness
• Response Planning for Drilling-Fluid Releases
• Excavation and Bore-Pit Awareness
• Entry and Exit Pit Hazards
• Excavation Edge Safety
• Trench / Excavation Protective-System Awareness
• Competent-Person Coordination Awareness
• Pedestrian and Ground-Personnel Safety
• Equipment Exclusion Zones
• Interaction with Vacuum Excavators
• Interaction with Excavators and Backhoes
• Interaction with Loaders and Support Equipment
• Traffic and Work-Zone Safety
• Public Roadway Exposure
• Temporary Traffic-Control Awareness
• Backing and Blind Spots
• Spotter Awareness
• Noise Exposure Awareness
• Hearing Protection
• Silica / Dust Awareness, When Applicable
• Personal Protective Equipment Awareness
• Eye and Face Protection
• Hand Protection
• Protective Footwear
• High-Visibility Apparel
• Hydraulic Pressure Hazards
• High-Pressure Hydraulic Injection Awareness
• Stored Mechanical and Hydraulic Energy
• Unexpected Startup Prevention
• Lockout / Tagout and Energy-Control Awareness
• Jam and Obstruction Response
• Tool and Drill-Head Changes
• Rod / Pipe Maintenance Awareness
• Maintenance and Servicing Restrictions
• Removing Unsafe Equipment from Service
• Fueling Safety
• Fire Prevention
• Weather and Environmental Conditions
• Heat Stress Awareness
• Cold Weather Awareness
• Rain, Mud, and Reduced Traction
• Lightning Awareness
• Night Operations and Lighting
• Transport and Trailer-Loading Awareness
• Parking and Securing Equipment
• Emergency Procedures
• Utility-Strike Response
• Electrical-Contact Emergency Response
• Gas-Line Strike / Leak Awareness
• Water-Line / Sewer-Line Strike Awareness
• Drilling-Fluid Release Response
• Hydraulic-System Failure Response
• Equipment Malfunction Response
• Incident Response
• Accident Prevention
• Operator Knowledge Review
• Practical Operator Training
• Operator Performance Evaluation

Training Discipline: Horizontal Directional Drilling, Underground Utility Construction, Trenchless Technology & Heavy Equipment Safety

Equipment: Horizontal Directional Drill (HDD) / Directional Boring Machine / Trenchless Drilling Equipment / Compact or Large Directional Drill, as Applicable

Training Format: Training may include formal instruction, demonstrations, practical equipment training, and evaluation of operator performance, as applicable.

Practical Training: Practical training should be appropriate to the specific directional drill the participant is expected to operate. Training should address controls, drill-string handling, thrust and rotation, rod-loading systems, breakout systems, drilling-fluid systems, bore tracking, communication, utility hazards, emergency controls, energy-isolation points, and actual workplace conditions.

Underground Utility Safety Notice: Directional drilling can create severe or fatal hazards if drilling equipment contacts electrical, gas, petroleum, communication, water, sewer, or other underground facilities. Available utility information should be obtained and evaluated, required notification and locating procedures completed, and utilities verified as appropriate before drilling begins.

811 / One-Call Notice: One-call notification requirements and procedures vary by state and jurisdiction. A one-call locate request does not necessarily identify every underground facility, including certain private facilities. Employers remain responsible for determining and following applicable excavation, utility-location, tolerance-zone, verification, and owner/operator requirements.

Electrical Strike Notice: Contact with an energized underground electrical facility can energize the drill string, machine, tooling, and surrounding ground. Operators and crews should be trained in the equipment manufacturer’s electrical-strike procedures and the employer’s emergency plan, including hazards associated with step and touch potential.

Gas Utility Notice: Damage to a gas line can result in fire, explosion, asphyxiation, or other serious hazards. Personnel should follow applicable emergency procedures, evacuate or isolate the area as required, avoid ignition sources, and contact the appropriate emergency and utility authorities.

Rotating Equipment Notice: Drill rods, drill strings, reamers, tooling, and other rotating components can create severe entanglement, crushing, and caught-in hazards. Personnel should remain clear of rotating components and established equipment exclusion zones.

High-Pressure Fluid Notice: Drilling-fluid and hydraulic systems can operate under substantial pressure. Personnel should not use hands to search for leaks or open pressurized connections. Pressure should be appropriately relieved and hazardous energy controlled before servicing.

Drilling-Fluid & Environmental Notice: Employers should evaluate drilling-fluid additives, Safety Data Sheets, environmental requirements, disposal procedures, and site-specific plans for inadvertent returns or releases where applicable.

Excavation Safety Notice: HDD work may involve bore pits, receiving pits, potholes, and other excavations. Applicable excavation requirements, protective systems, access, edge protection, underground utility controls, and competent-person responsibilities remain separate from operator training.

Rigging Notice: Rigging-awareness content associated with pullback or product handling does not by itself qualify or certify a participant as a qualified rigger where separate qualification requirements apply.

Equipment-Specific Training Notice: Directional drills vary significantly in size, controls, thrust and pullback capacity, rotational torque, rod-handling systems, drilling-fluid systems, tracking technology, safety devices, and operating characteristics. Operators should receive instruction and familiarization appropriate to the specific equipment they are expected to operate.

Employer Responsibility Notice: Completion of an A.R.G. classroom or knowledge-based training component does not by itself authorize an individual to operate a directional drill. Employers remain responsible for determining applicable requirements and ensuring equipment-specific instruction, practical training, evaluation, authorization, supervision, utility-location procedures, site-specific emergency procedures, protective equipment, and documentation appropriate to the equipment, task, and workplace.

Training Certificate: Participants who successfully complete applicable training and evaluation requirements may receive an A.R.G. Construction, Safety & Health Certificate of Training documenting completion of the Directional Drill Operator Safety Training program.

The certificate documents training completed and should not be represented as an OSHA-issued credential, utility-locator certification, governmental operator license, or governmental certification.

For course schedules, availability, pricing, and group training, contact sales@argcsh.org.