Inspection Detail

Inspection: 308060623 - Seismic Drilling Services, Llc

Inspection Information - Office: Oklahoma City Area Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 12:00 p.m. on December 3, 2004, Employee #1, a helper, and a rig operator were in a mountain range drilling holes in the ground to place explosives for oil exploration. The holes were drilled about 30-feet deep and the explosive charge placed in each hole weighed 2.5 lbs. Drilling was accomplished by using an all terrain buggy with a rear mounted air hammer drill. After each hole was drilled and filled with the charge, Employee #1 would fill the remainder of the hole with dirt as the rig operator relocated the drill buggy to the next site. At one of the sites Employee #1 did not show up. The operator then went back to the previous site they were at to find Employee #1 dead. He had been run over by the drill buggy as it backed up to drive to the next site and suffered fatal head injuries.

Keywords: HEAD, EXPLOSIVES, OIL WELL DRILLING, STRUCK BY, RUN OVER, MOTOR VEHICLE, OIL RIG, INATTENTION