Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1400229.015 - Dralco Systems, Llc

Inspection Information - Office: Fort Worth Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 7:20 a.m. on April 29, 2019, an employee was working for a firm that manufactured oil and gas field machinery and equipment. The firm specialized in manufacturing sheet metal and piping, and fabricating gas measurement equipment. The employee had been with the company for two weeks, and he had been trained two weeks prior. He and a coworker were working in the firm's hydro testing area. They were cleaning an 8 inch (200 millimeter) diameter pipe. The coworker was operating a berry hone inside the pipe. A berry hone is a long steel shaft with a brush on its end. It is used to clean burrs and other debris out of pipes. This berry hone was on a pipe that was 10 feet (3.0 meters) long, with a 4 inch (100 millimeter) inside diameter. It was powered by a heavy duty Milwaukee drill. The coworker was running the berry hone inside the pipe. The employee was cleaning paint off of the flanges of the pipe. The employee was wearing rubber gloves. He reached over to grab the berry hone, but he ended up grabbing the rotating shaft instead. The rotating shaft caught the employee's hand and pulled him in. The employee sustained the amputation of one of his small fingers. He was hospitalized. The supervisor was on duty and knew the employees were working in the hydro testing area. He knew that the berry hone device was being operated. He knew that it was not guarded and that it hadn't been guarded prior to the incident.

Keywords: Amputated, Amputation, Caught Between, Caught By, Caught In, Cleaning, Finger, Gas Well Drilling, Glove, Inexperience, Machine Guarding, Metal Pipe, Oil Well Drilling/Servicing, Paint, Rotating Shaft, Training, Unguarded