Abstract: At approximately 1:15 p.m. on March 15, 2006, an oil field laborer for a large oil well service company was assisting in the servicing of oil wells and lines. He was opening the valve on a bleeder line that led from well Number 542 on Chevron Lease 16-2. The bleeder line was not secured, and he suffered an impact injury from the whipping motion of the pipeline. The 2 in. open-ended pipeline struck the employee in the left leg, and he sustained a fractured femur. An investigation concluded that the valve on the open-ended bleeder was opened under instructions by the supervisor, and the bleeder was not staked or secured to prevent whipping. The employee was hospitalized, at San Joaquin Valley Hospital where surgery was performed.