Inspection Detail

Note: The following inspection has not been indicated as closed. Please be aware that the information shown may change, e.g. violations may be added or deleted. For open cases, in which a citation has been issued, the citation information may not be available for 5 days following receipt by the employer for Federal inspections or for 30 days following receipt by the employer for State inspections.

Inspection: 1689190.015 - Patterson-Uti Drilling Company, Llc

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

Investigation Summary

At 11:45 a.m. on July 20, 2023, an employee, a rig manager, was checking on a line attached to the blowout preventer at rig site when a pressurized line ruptured causing release of high-pressure air. The employee was struck by the high-pressure air in the mid torso and was blown off the rig to a lower level. When the crew heard the loud boom they immediately turned the mud pump off and went below the drilling deck to see where the noise came from. The crew went below to the Texas deck and checked the blowout preventer and found that all of the hoses attached to the orbit valve were blown off. While looking at the damage they found the employee laying on the ground 96 feet away from the blowout preventer. Emergency services were called and first aid and CPR were attempted on the employee. The employee had a very large hole in his hip and he was bleeding very badly. The employee was pronounced dead by a physician at the site.

Keywords: Air Pressure, Bleeding, Blunt force, Blunt force trauma, CPR, Drilling, Drilling Mud, Fall From Elevation, High Pressure, Hose, Oil Rig, Oil Well Drilling, Rupture, Struck By