Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1532355.015 - General Production Service Of California, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Process Safety Management - North Non-Refinery

Investigation Summary

At 2:50 p.m. on May 19, 2021, an employee working as a production supervisor for a company that provides support to oil and gas operations was working on the Rig 44 servicing well #73N-36S. The well was having production issues due to parted rods. The employee was working with a crew that had locked and tagged out the well, removed the head and bridle, and was preparing to conduct a displacement test on the well. A coworker, the operator, picked up on the 30 foot polished rod leaving only 3 feet below the stuffing box. The coworker then pumped water from a poly tank down into the well tubing and lowered the polished rod while observing the pressure gauge. The coworker had just lifted the rod to its appropriate height at which time the employee had returned to take photos of the gauge. Before the coworker could lower the rod for the test, the employee attempted to verify that the pump was providing water into the well. The employee placed his hand on the hose from the tank to see if he could feel any water movement but he could not make the determination. He reached for the polished rod above the stuffing box and load cell approximately 6 feet off the ground to feel for vibrations that would indicate that water was flowing. As the employee was placing his hand on the polished rod, the rod rotator suddenly broke free and slid down the rod. The rod rotator had been caught on the rod in an elevated position due to scale build-up. The crew had not noticed that the rotator was caught on the pipe and elevated out of its natural position after the operator had lifted the polished rod for the well test procedure. The rotator slid down the rod approximately 5 feet and struck the employee's index finger and thumb. Coworkers immediately escorted the employee to a relief area, provided first aid and notified the employer. The employee received medical treatment (including stitches) without hospitalization for lacerations and fractures to his right thumb and index finger.

Keywords: Caught Between, Contusion, Drill Rod, Falling Object, Finger, Fracture, Hand, Inspecting, Inspection, Laceration, Lockout, Lockout/Tagout, Malfunction, Mech Malfunction, Oil And Gas Support Services, Oil Well Drilling/Servicing, Oil Well Servicing, Pinch Point, Pinched, Stitches, Supervisor, Suture, Testing, Thumb