Inspection Detail

Inspection: 111960266 - Gary Drilling

Inspection Information - Office: Redding District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 4:30 p.m. on October 4, 1991, Employee #1, a derrickman for Gary's Drilling, was on a derrick platform along with some short stands of pipe. An elevator ascended backward with the door facing the draw works. According to Employee #1, he unhooked his safety belt to reach the pull back rope. As he held the rope to pull the stand back to the elevators, he reached underneath to shut the elevator door around the pipe. The door was not easy to shut. The rope slipped out of the employee's hand and he fell head first. His head hit a girt and he began to fall upright. As he fell, he grabbed onto cables, catlines, and girts. He fell 55 ft before he struck a cross member on top of the A frame and stopped falling 8 to 10 ft from the floor. A catline was hooked to the back D-ring of his harness and he was carefully let down to the floor. Employee #1 was in a lot of pain, but did not suffer fatal injuries. He was attended to by paramedics, then taken to Rideout Hospital in Marysville, where he was treated for pulled ligaments of the left shoulder and a swollen right knee and ankle. Employee #1 received stitches in his left elbow. He was released at about 9:00 or 10:00 p.m. the same day. According to Employee #1, he was not hooked to the anti-fall device because of a broken safety latch, but was tied off to the wrap-around by his safety belt. Two separate anti-fall devices were reported to be available.

Keywords: KNEE, HEAD, DERRICKMAN, SHOULDER, WORK RULES, STRUCK AGAINST, FALL, FALL PROTECTION, OIL WELL SERVICING, DERRICK PLATFORM