08 Jul TrainND Northwest Celebrates One Basin – One Way!
WILLISTON, N.D. – TrainND Northwest will celebrate the One Basin – One Way! program with a Grand Opening on Thursday, July 11 on the TrainND Northwest campus located at 415 22nd Ave NE.
The event will begin with a presentation and Q&A session led by Kenley Nebeker, Director for Technical Programs and Training at TrainND Northwest, followed by a One Basin – One Way! course observation, facility tour, and lunch for invitees.
Earlier this year, the North Dakota Petroleum Council (NDPC) announced the launch of One Basin – One Way!, a standardized contractor safety orientation program.
Developed by producers and contractors based in the Bakken, this training is designed to raise safety awareness on over 40 critical topics while providing a North Dakota based viewpoint on the hazards found in the Williston Basin.
TrainND Northwest is one of the training providers that will offer this new program.
“This is such a great opportunity for us,” said Nebeker. “We are all about safety and ensuring that our workforce is going to work confident and well-trained. This fits very well into our mission, and we really believe in the goals of this orientation.”
The program is the result of a “grass roots” effort by the NDPC, Nebeker added.
In the spring of 2019, the NDPC set up an advisory committee of 99 members including producers, contractors, and training providers to develop what became One Basin – One Way!
According to the NDPC, in 2018, an estimated 32,000 contractors attended orientations for each producer who hired them. The NDPC estimates workers are sitting through as many as eight redundant sessions a year and that companies are collectively losing 1.25 million man-hours.
By standardizing the orientation curriculum across the Basin, the One Basin – One Way! program will eliminate duplicative training, increase efficiency, and increase production numbers.
“This is the first time an orientation will follow a contractor if he or she goes from one job to another,” explained Nebeker. “Instead of someone going into a 2- or 4-hour orientation for six different companies, that individual can go to one orientation and hear one safety message.”
“A certain confidence comes from hearing one message and when faced with a situation that requires a safety-based decision, knowing how to appropriately respond,” added Nebeker. “Standardized orientations have proved to lead to better safety records, and this is the most important point for us – keeping people safe.”
On June 17, industry partners, training providers, and relevant stakeholders gathered for the signing ceremony and the official start of the One Basin – One Way! program.
Governor Doug Burgum was in attendance and said it was “fantastic” to see companies, some of which are major competitors, work together on delivering a standardized safety training.
Eleven companies have signed on to One Basin – One Way! and have become the program’s initial Safety FIRST partners:
- Bruin E&P
- Crestwood Midstream
- Enerplus
- Equinor
- Hess Corporation
- Oasis Petroleum
- ONEOK, Inc.
- QEP Resources
- Whiting Petroleum Corporation
- WPX Energy
- XTO Energy
These companies have accepted the One Basin – One Way! program as their orientation so contractors can now go to any one of these companies and still have received the same training.
Alongside TrainND Northwest which will offer the program in Williston, the North Dakota Safety Council (NDSC) is the second training provider that will present the program across the rest of the state.
NDSC is a private non-profit whose mission is to reduce injuries and save lives through effective training techniques in a diverse lineup of courses.
A third entity, Diamond B, will assist by providing a software platform they designed called ProCertX, which was built specifically for the training and certification challenges subcontractors and producers face.
“Diamond B will provide the technology needed to ensure the certifications are going on the contractors’ cards,” Nebeker said. “So, when they go on site and need certain certifications, diamond B has a program that makes tracking that utterly amazing. Their technology is mind-blowing. I’m excited to be partnered with them.”
When asked why he was so excited about the One Basin – One Way! movement, Nebeker responded, “It’s the right work to be doing. At TrainND Northwest, we are passionate about people going to work confidently and at the end of their shift going home to their families. One Basin – One Way! is a commonsense approach to making that happen.”
Media are invited and encouraged to attend the presentation and Q&A session of this event.
For more information on this event or TrainND Northwest, please contact Kenley Nebeker at 701.713.3780 or kenley.nebeker@willistonstate.edu.
For more information, please visit www.willistonstate.edu, call 1.888.863.9455, or stop by 1410 University Avenue, Williston, ND.