Inspection Detail

Inspection: 300572526 - Fannie Lee Mitchell Of Texas, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Lubbock Area Office

Investigation Summary

Employee #1 and two coworkers were changing the tail bearing on a pump jack. They had lowered the equalizer arm and removed and replaced the tail bearing. The pump jack operator then began to raise the equalizer arm with the tail bearing attached. The arm was raised vertically as far as possible, but the tail bearing was not aligned correctly. Employee #1 had climbed on top of the gear box to manually align it when the chain supporting the right side of the equalizer came loose. The arm started to fall backward toward Employee #1, and he grabbed hold of the tail bearing and rode the arm down. He became pinned between the tail bearing and the electric motor, and was killed. While aligning the tail bearing, Employee #1 apparently applied force to one side of the arm, releasing tension on the other side and causing the chain to come undone from the hook. The hook did not have a safety latch or similar securing device, and it may have been resting on the edge of the arm, pushing the chain partially out of the hook. The chain was also rotating around the arm as it was lifted.

Keywords: ATTACHMENT HOOK, CHAIN, MAINTENANCE, SAFETY LATCH, UNSECURED, PINNED, WORK RULES, CAUGHT BETWEEN, FALL, OIL WELL SERVICING