Code of conduct

The standard Ameristar people are held to and counterparties are entitled to expect. Stop-work authority, honest reporting, no facilitation payments, and client data that stays with the client.

1. Why this exists

A six-month-old contractor is judged on how it behaves long before it is judged on its statistics. This code is what Ameristar people are held to, and what counterparties are entitled to expect. It is short on purpose.

2. Stop-work authority

Every person on an Ameristar site — employee, contractor, client representative, visitor — may stop the job. No permission is needed, no reason has to be argued at the time, and there is no penalty for being wrong. Stop-work authority is written into every contract the company signs, so no commercial pressure can be applied against it.

A stop that turns out to be unnecessary costs hours. A stop that does not happen can cost a person.

3. Reporting honestly

Reports go out as they happened. Non-productive time is recorded as non-productive time. A sidetrack is reported as a sidetrack. Cost overruns are reported in the period they occur, not the period after. Where an outcome was poor, the newsroom is allowed to say so, and has.

Anyone who edits a report to make an operation look better than it was has committed a disciplinary offence, regardless of the amount involved.

4. Bribery and facilitation

No payment, gift, hospitality or favour may be offered or accepted to obtain work, obtain a permit, or obtain a decision. Facilitation payments are not permitted anywhere Ameristar operates and are not reimbursable. There is no threshold below which this becomes acceptable.

5. Conflicts of interest

Declare any personal interest in a supplier, a competitor, a landowner or an operator before the matter reaches a decision, not after. A declared interest is manageable; an undeclared one is a problem.

6. Competition and confidentiality

Client data stays with the client. Formation information, drilling parameters, commercial terms and programme detail do not move between operators, are not discussed off site, and are not used to win other work. Classified material is handled to the instructions printed on it.

Ameristar does not discuss rates, terms or market allocation with competitors.

7. People

Crews are hired and promoted on competence and record. Harassment, discrimination and retaliation end the relationship. Working hours and rest periods are enforced because a tired crew is a hazard, not because a policy says so.

8. The environment

Flaring, venting and spills are measured and published rather than estimated and omitted. ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 are Stage 2 complete and not yet certified; until they are, this company will not describe itself as certified to them.

9. Raising a concern

Raise it with a supervisor, a district manager, or any Ameristar officer. Concerns can be raised through the counterparty relationship if that is easier. Nobody who raises a concern in good faith is penalised for it, including where the concern turns out to be mistaken.