Welcoming Well Fracking Crews: A How To Guide

Many factors contribute to a successful travel management plan. Crew lodging, specifically, is an element that can make or break an employee’s experience in the field. Let's review what travel managers need to know when considering crew camp housing options for well fracking employees.

What Should You Look For in Fracking Crew Lodging?

Since there isn’t an actual fracking season in the U.S., travel managers are kept busy throughout the year planning transportation and housing for fracking workers. And there are some key factors to consider when choosing fracking well employee housing. Below, we’ve outlined the most important travel logistics for fracking.

Location & Distance

Fracking workers are usually working long hours each day, sometimes up to 70-80 hours per week. Having housing nearby can save workers hours of travel time they would otherwise spend on commuting. This means they can use that time to properly relax and recharge for their next shift. 
 
Another factor to consider when choosing the location and distance for fracking well employee housing is safety. After a long shift, crew members are going to be exhausted. Driving drowsy decreases your response time, awareness, and decision-making abilities. 
 
Research shows that an estimated one in 25 adults falls asleep while driving. This runs the risk of accidents that could result in injuries or death. Eliminating transportation from the field to crew members’ lodging will ensure no one is getting behind the wheel when they are too tired. 

Safety & Security

Safety and security should always be a priority for your crew members. There are certain factors regarding the quality of facilities you should pay special attention to, including:

• Design and layout 
• Sanitary and washing facilities
• Water supply
• Sewage and garbage disposal
• Protection against heat and cold
• Protection against environmental or operational impacts of the worksite
• Protection against natural hazards and elements
• Cooking and storage facilities
• Lighting and ventilation 

To ensure that occupational safety and health standards of workers are upheld, make sure the temporary housing follows the U.S. Department of Labor guidelines when choosing fracking crew lodging.
 

Accommodations & Amenities for Crew Camps

Fracking well employee housing should be as comfortable as it is functional. A crew camp can usually house anywhere from 50 to 100 workers. This means lodging amenities should include a variety of features that make workers feel at home when they aren’t working in the field. 
 
If you look in the right place, you’ll discover that many camps provide amenities such as: 
 

• Gym facilities
• Laundry facilities
• Entertainment/game rooms
• Cinema rooms 
• Large truck parking

In addition to the facilities listed above, camps are dedicated to having prepared food available 24 hours a day. Since there are multiple workers, working at different times, they must be able to eat at their convenience following a lengthy shift. 
 
The quality of each room is important as well. Depending on where the worksite is located, the room amenities may change. However, the standard for each room is a single bed, table, Wi-Fi, and TV. There should also be a washroom and shower available for use, whether it is private or shared between two rooms.
 
Many times, if workers have to share rooms, they will be on different work schedules. For example, one may work day shifts while the other works night shifts. This ensures workers a certain level of flexibility and privacy during their hours off.

 

1. Healthy & Safety

Duty of Care is the responsibility of an organization to look after its employees and crews while they are travelling for work. This means you should always be aware of accommodation standards, process compliance, and the whereabouts of the team. 
Duty of Care programs ensure you’re prepared for any bump in the road. For example, some of these circumstances may include:
 

• Missing a flight or flights being rescheduled/cancelled
• Misplacing important documents, such as a passport
• Health risks ranging from global pandemics to hospitalization caused by an accident, infection, stress, or fatigue
• Car accidents that occur during work travel
• Natural disasters such as hurricanes, blizzards, thunderstorms, and tornadoes

Ensuring your team has access to decent, secure, and clean accommodation and travel benefits the arranger and the traveller because it increases peace of mind on both sides and establishes a necessary level of trust. 
 

2. Administration

The policies you put into place must be clear, concise, and easy to manage. Many times, administrative efforts can end up costing you more time and money due to disorganization or inefficiencies in policy management. Some common questions you may want to ask yourself are:
 

• Does your accounts payable team have hours available to research different camp or hotel options and costs? 

• Will training be necessary to ensure your crew understands how to submit expenses for each of their stays? 

• How will you ensure the cost of accommodations is recovered on project-specific travel needs? 

These questions may vary, but a good best practice to follow is thinking through each stakeholder involved and assessing how they will be impacted. Once you’ve assessed all the possibilities, you’ll have a clearer image of how you can be efficient without sacrificing the needs of your crew.
 

3. Expenses

Another element you should be clear about is expenses. Every traveller is different, and each job may entail different expenses. Ensuring you and your team are on the same page about which expenses are reasonable and which aren’t will avoid any confusion or misconceptions. 

When it comes to expenses, finding a balance between flexibility and freedom with oversight and regulation is critical. For instance, you may offer food allowances but still direct workers to book travel with preferred vendors. This balance is key to establishing trust and respect while also staying in control and organized. 
 

4. Responsibility

Responsibilities are important factors in travel management. As you assign specific tasks and duties to different team members, make sure that each individual or group is clear on what they are expected to do. 

Putting accountabilities in place will not only keep everyone on the same page, but it will ensure that accurate travel costs are being accounted for, avoiding the risk of incorrect billing and misaligned costs.
 

5. Communication

This may seem obvious, but communication is key. Once a travel management policy is in place, it’s imperative that everyone is up-to-date with the latest information. Ensuring all executives agree communicating with leadership and management teams is essential to avoid confusion across the board. 

As you educate leadership and management teams, make sure you’re providing them with resources that will answer any questions they may have. Communicating with employees that will be impacted is critical if you want to avoid unnecessary mistakes.