November 2, 2026
Safety Focus
Part 1 of 4: PPE Fundamentals
In 2020, the Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 18,510 eye injuries and illnesses that kept a worker off the job at least one day. Construction trades workers had 2,120 of them. Most cases came from contact with objects or equipment, mainly grit or debris rubbing the eye, or something striking it.
That is a drill site on an ordinary day. Cuttings come off the shaker, air returns throwing dirt, grout splashes, grinding on metal, and hands are on pipe, tongs, and wire rope all shift.
This week covers the gear between you and those hazards: eyes, hands, feet, and head. Respirators had their own week (Week 11).
Start with where PPE ranks. NIOSH's hierarchy of controls orders protection by general effectiveness, and PPE comes last. Removing the hazard, substituting something safer, engineering it out, and changing how the work is done all come first. NIOSH puts the reason simply: PPE can be effective, "but only when workers use it correctly and consistently."
That does not make PPE optional. It makes it the last line, and the last line has to hold. Safety glasses in a shirt pocket, a hard hat on the dash, or gloves worn through at the palm protect nobody.
On construction work, OSHA's rule is broad. Under 1926.95(a), protective equipment for the eyes, face, head, and extremities "shall be provided, used, and maintained in a sanitary and reliable condition wherever it is necessary" because of a hazard that can injure.
Coming this week:
• Tuesday: matching the gear to the task, in the order the work happens.
• Wednesday: selection, fit, and inspection, including OSHA's fit rule.
• Thursday: making PPE a crew standard that holds.
Key Takeaways:
• Construction trades workers (including drilling and pump operations) had 2,120 of the 18,510 eye injuries with days away from work that BLS counted in 2020.
• PPE ranks last in the hierarchy of controls. Control the hazard first; PPE covers what is left.
• PPE only works when it is worn, and worn right, every time.
Sources:
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Workers Suffered 18,510 Eye-Related Injuries and Illnesses in 2020
• NIOSH: About Hierarchy of Controls
Knowledge Share
Part 1 of 4: Slot Selection and Open Area
Last week ended with three numbers on the design sheet: D10, D60, and Cu. This week, those numbers pick the screen slot.
The slot is the opening that lets water into the screen and keeps the formation out. Size it right, and development pulls the fine grains from the formation next to the screen, leaving a coarser, more permeable zone that holds the rest in place. Size it wrong, and the well pays for it as long as it runs.
ANSI/AWWA A100-20, the consensus standard for water well construction, ties the slot straight to last week's work. For a naturally developed well, which A100 defines as one where the slot openings sit in direct contact with the aquifer with no artificial filter or gravel between them, Section 4.5.5.1 sizes the slot by how much of the aquifer sample it holds back:
• Where Cu is greater than 6, the slot retains 30 to 40 percent of the sample.
• Where Cu is less than 6, the slot retains 40 to 50 percent.
So Cu is not just a description of the sand. It decides which rule you use. Our Week 11 sample came out at a Cu of about 3.3, so it falls under the 40 to 50 percent rule. Tomorrow we read the slot off that curve.
One note on standing: A100 is a consensus standard, not a regulation. It applies where a specification or agency adopts it.
Coming this week:
• Tuesday: reading a slot off the curve, and what open area does and does not do.
• Wednesday: natural development versus filter pack, and layered formations.
• Thursday: what happens when the slot is too big or too small.
What this means for your next design:
• Know the Cu before you pick a slot. It sets the retention range.
• Confirm whether the curve reads percent passing or percent retained.
• Check whether the job specification adopts A100-20.
Sources:
• AWWA: ANSI/AWWA A100-20, Water Wells
Recommended Print References:
• Hydraulics of Wells: American Society of Civil Engineers
• Handbook of Ground Water Development- Roscoe Moss Company
• Groundwater & Wells, Third Edition- Edited by Robert J. Sterrett, Johnson Screens
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