Region 8 News Release: 12-532-DAK
April 10, 2012
Contact: Scott Allen Rhonda Burke
Phone: 312-353-6976 312-353-6976
Email: allen.scott@dol.gov burke.rhonda@dol.gov

US Department of Labor's OSHA cites Cyclone Drilling for safety violations
in North Dakota oil field; proposed fines total $65,600

BISMARCK, N.D. – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Cyclone Drilling Inc. with two repeat, five serious, and one other than serious violation of safety and health standards for exposing workers on an oil drilling rig to electrical, fire and fall hazards, among others, in an oil field near Ray. Proposed penalties total $65,600.

Cyclone Drilling Inc. was inspected under the OSHA Bismarck Area Office's Problem Solving Initiative, which aims to prevent injuries and fatalities while also raising the safety and health awareness of employers in the oil drilling and construction activities of North Dakota's western region.

The repeat violations include exposing employees to a potential 26 foot fall hazard as they worked on the drilling floor next to an open V-door, the area where drill pipe sections are brought onto the drilling floor, and a non-functional eye wash station used to prevent injury in the event of corrosive materials entering the eyes. A repeat citation is issued when an employer previously has been cited for the same or a similar violation of a standard, regulation, or rule at any other facility in federal enforcement states within the last five years. Cyclone Drilling Inc. was cited for an open side platform in 2008 at a Lambert. Mont., facility and for a violation related to an eye wash station in Meeker, Colo., in 2010.

The serious violations include failing to install connecting pins in the derrick, repair damaged stairs, provide an operable fire extinguisher, guard rotating machinery parts, provide electrical covers, and repair or replace damaged and improperly strung flexible cords. A serious violation occurs when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.

"The hazards discovered during this inspection are well-recognized within the industry and easily can be corrected to protect employees from needless injuries," said Tom Deutscher, director of OSHA's Bismarck Area Office. "OSHA is committed to protecting workers on the job."

Gillette, Wyo.–based Cyclone Drill Inc. has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and proposed penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

To ask questions, obtain compliance assistance, file a complaint, or report workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA's toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency's Bismarck office at 701-250-4521.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to ensure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.

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U.S. Department of Labor news materials are accessible at http://www.dol.gov. The information above is available in large print, Braille, audio tape or disc from the COAST office upon request by calling 202-693-7828 or TTY 202-693-7755.