Inspection Detail

Inspection: 115153025 - Amoco Explor. And Prod. San Juan Operations Center

Inspection Information - Office: State Of New Mexico Environment Department Occupational Health & Safety Bureau

Investigation Summary

At approximately 10:30 a.m. on May 2, 1996, Employee #1 and another field technician were placing a Pesco (Process Equipment Services Company) 4 mm EPNG glycol dehydrator back in operation after a natural gas well had been upgraded by increasing the output pressure to about 400 psig, a low output for most gas wells. The two technicians had been purging the lines for approximately 30 minutes. Employee #1 was approaching or was next to the 2 in. valve that opened the pipe from the dehydrator process to the meter in preparation for purging the last leg of the line when the pipe section before the valve burst. Employee #1 was struck on the right shoulder and on the right side of his head; he was killed almost instantly. The 2 in. valve was not open at the time of the accident. The rupture was caused by internal combustion in the vessels or piping due to causes that remain under investigation by Amoco, the owner of the well.

Keywords: HEAD, GAS WELL, WORK RULES, RUPTURE, EXPLOSION, HIGH PRESSURE, VALVE, PIPE, GAS WELL DRILLING, PRESSURE RELEASE