British Drilling Association Audit Summary 2024

January 14, 2025

Throughout 2024, the British Drilling Association’s (BDA) Audit has continued to gain traction. Progress has been made among both contractors and clients, with the audit used as a critical tool to help prove ongoing competency of drillers. High-profile clients such as National Highways, AECOM, BP, and East West Rail now mandate the BDA Audit as the benchmark for measuring compliance. The BDA is also actively engaging with other sectors and clients to promote the Audit as a way to ensure that contractors maintain good practices, high standards of safety, and technical competency.

Over the past 12 months, the number of BDA audits has seen a modest but reassuring increase. This growth is particularly encouraging, considering the mergers, contractor sales, and the exit of a major player from the market during this period. As of now, 199 audits have been completed, with an additional 52 applications in  progressed. The majority of these audits are expected to be completed by the end of January, which will bring the numbers to another record level.

There remains a concerning trend of companies scheduling audits but failing to provide access for site visits. Clients should be aware that simply being registered for audits does not guarantee that a company is complying with the required standards, as some have suggested, as no audit has actually taken place. Audits can be completed at any site, with no specific size or duration requirement. Audits have been successfully conducted on both one-day jobs and large-scale infrastructure projects, so there is no reason for delay in conducting audits. Delays on the day of the audit are never due to the audit process itself, but instead can always be traced back to either incomplete information being supplied ahead of the visits, or non-conformances that require resolution on the day, before the audit can be completed. A good example of how efficient the audit process can be was seen in the case of Causeway Geotech. Working alongside our highly organised auditors, Callum Allardyce and Lee Allardyce, Causeway demonstrated outstanding levels of preparation, enabling them to complete 18 audits in just 9 days. Whilst this is not the normal approach to auditing drilling staff, it does demonstrate that audits do not have to be a drawn-out process that impact day-to-day drilling works in any major way.

The BDA has also secured the services of an additional part-time auditor to cover for holidays or illness, alongside the existing three auditors. The three auditors spread across the UK, remains an ideal number, ensuring availability within 2-3 working days for audits anywhere. In some instances, audits have even been completed the day after registration.

Non-conformances

Of the 199 audits that have been completed, 12 audits were immediately terminated due to urgent safety concerns, and an additional 2 were recorded as non-conforming because the auditee and employer did not take the opportunity to rectify identified issues in a timely manner. On a positive note, 61 audits were initially logged as ‘Not yet achieved’ with minor non-conformances logged as areas for improvement. Subsequently, all 61 audits had these non-conformances closed out and completed within the agreed time scales, enabling the auditee to achieve full audit status.

Furthermore, 16 audits involved pre-audit rectification, where the audit team inspected certifications and worked with auditees and or their companies to address any issues before the audit took place. This initiative-taking approach has been well-received and continues to enhance the overall audit process.

It is worth noting that more than 95% of auditees successfully achieve audited status, further demonstrating the effectiveness of the BDA Audit process. However, these figures highlight that, without intervention, the success rate would drop by approximately 32% to around 63%. Whilst consistent, these numbers  underscore the importance of the annual audit in maintaining industry standards.

The audit process is not solely about identifying areas for improvement. We are also pleased to report that, once again this year, several audits were completed with no interventions or minor non-conformances. Special congratulations go to Chris Rainsbury (BH Drilling Services), Paddy Johnstone (Causeway Geotech), Jason Kelly (Socotec UK), and Duncan Lamb (Structural Soils), for achieving this score, proving that it is possible to complete an audit with exemplary results.

Updates

The BDA Audit Steering Group, which meets regularly and values industry feedback, has been looking at addressing calls to make the audit even more driller-focused. While the introduction of quality and technical standards has achieved this in these areas, there is a genuine call from members to make the safety aspects also focus more on the Lead Driller’s role.

In order to implement this change, there is planned to be a much stronger emphasis on pre-use safety checks of machinery and equipment. These checks, distinct from maintenance checks, must be documented physically and are planned to serve as evidence of a driller’s knowledge of their health & safety responsibilities during audits. All companies and drillers should already be conducting these pre-use checks in compliance with both the manufacturers’ and PUWER regulations but moving forward they will be used as evidence of health & safety compliance at the time of the audit. This means that documentation of these checks will need to be physically accessible to the auditor on the day of the audit. This shift removes the need for certification to be submitted prior to audit, as the Lead Driller will have ensured all equipment is safe during his pre-use checks. The driller will be asked to demonstrate how they have come to the conclusion that the equipment is safe to use to evidence their understanding of their duties. If non-conformities are found that were missed in the pre-use checks, responsibility will lie with the Lead Driller, not the company, hence simplifying the process, and giving the auditee total control of their outcome as industry has requested.

In addition, there will be a new minor non-conformance introduced to the audit in the near future. There will be the requirement for all auditees to have undergone Manual Handling training, which has been identified by the Health and Safety committee as being a legal requirement for all employees. Effective immediately, failure to provide proof of Manual Handling training will result in  minor non-conformity.er, it is proposed that this requirement will become a prerequisite for all audits in six months’ time. Members are reminded that Manual Handling training should be task specific.

Quality and Technical

Over the past 12 months, since quality standards were added to the audit, the data shows that while minor non-conformances are common, they rarely exceed one or two per audit. These ranged from frequent non-recording of SPT straightness check, to poor quality borehole record keeping from drillers. However, no audits have failed due to the accumulation of five or more minor non-conformities. This has allowed auditees to fully understand the requirements without incurring frequent failures, which reinforces the fair failure threshold introduced by the Steering Group on addition of technical non-conformances to the audit. However, the Technical and Standards Committee will raise the bar by reducing the allowable minor non-conformities from five to three before an audit is recorded as non-conforming. This gradual tightening aims to increase compliance in all technical areas. Outlined below are the figures which reinforce this reduction; the figures are taken from an overall 180 audits.

Examples of minor non-conformances recorded.

Additionally, two issues will now be classified as major non-conformities due to their importance in borehole monitoring:

1. The absence of equipment to accurately measure the borehole (e.g. missing dip tape).
2. The lack of a functioning dip meter to measure water levels.

The committee believes that something that is, without question, a fundamental requirement of any investigation to require these tools, and no exceptions will be allowed.

Safety

Over the last year, there has been little change with no new areas of non-compliance being identified, which is seen as a positive trend. However, audits continue to highlight issues with machine and equipment certification, often due to incorrect or unchecked documentation. Companies should ensure that those conducting Thorough Examinations on their behalf are competent to do so and fully understand Schedule 1 of LOLER, which certification for drilling equipment is expected to mirror. The BDA previously issued guidance on this, and companies are encouraged to revisit it.

One persistent issue is insufficient guarding of the rotary drill string, particularly when setups deviate from the norm. PUWER regulations apply to all setups, and companies/ drillers must ensure compliance. For example, when raising the mast for recirculation, the guard must remain within the correct distance to the ground or working platform; when mounting drilling masts onto low ground bearing pressure machines, guards may well need to be raised as well as lowered, to cover the raised position of the operator. The BDA has issued guidance on how this can be achieved, and companies are urged revisit the guidance and apply it across all similar machines in their fleet, not just those audited.

Feedback

The BDA Audit team remains committed to continuous improvement, actively seeking, and reviewing feedback from auditees and employers. Feedback is collected both during and after the audit, then meticulously reviewed by the Audit Steering Group to enhance industry engagement with the audit. The vast majority of feedback is overwhelmingly positive. Of more than 100 audits that logged feedback on site from auditees, over 91% of responses were incredibly positive, with an additional 8% being neutral. Many auditees and companies have stated that they were treated fairly, given opportunities to improve, and many continue to state they learned valuable lessons from the process.

Summary

The BDA Audit continues to uphold its reputation as a vital tool for promoting safety, technical competency, and industry best practices. By listening to member feedback, the audit continues to be refined and continues to set high standards. The BDA remains steadfast in its mission of Improving Standards in Health & Safety, Quality of Workmanship & Technical Proficiency for the Drilling Industry, and such to elevate the drilling industry’s professionalism. The audit not only ensures compliance but also serves as a catalyst for continuous improvement, benefiting companies, clients, and the industry as a whole.

Author – BDA Audit Team