Inspection Detail

Inspection: 310813704 - Pacific Drilling Company

Inspection Information - Office: San Diego District Office

Investigation Summary

On October 25, 2007, Employee #1, a drill operator, and his coworker/helper, were working for a geotechnical firm engaged in soil core analysis at a coastal home in La Jolla, CA. They were using a Squid with a 5 ft auger to pull soil samples from a location next to the driveway. A private geologist was taking samples as they drilled, but he was only directing the work in telling them where and how deep to drill. Employee #1 was using a hydraulic powered motor and a tripod and winch that held the auger bits vertical to drill down to the natural formation or bedrock. The auger blades are dull, with about a hand's width between the spirals. Employee #1 was operating the cable that moves the auger up and down on a tripod, while his helper operated the Squid, which transfers the power from a portable motor via a hydraulic line to the auger bits. As they pulled the auger out of the hole, Employee #1 would periodically reach in with his hand to scrape soil off of the bit and also to dig around the edges of the hole to keep loose soil from falling back in. They had just added another length onto the auger, which created a small gap between the blades where the two lengths were connected. Employee #1 was reaching in to clean off the auger blades when the inside cuff of his leather gloves became caught in the the gap between the two lengths of auger. The auger was not spinning very fast, but the force of its motion was enough to pull Employee #1 off his feet, snapping his right arm between his hand and his elbow before his coworker could stop it. Employee #1 was transported to Scripps La Jolla Hospital, where he underwent multiple surgeries but they were not successful. On November 15, 2007, his arm was amputated below the elbow.

Keywords: FRACTURE, AMPUTATED, ROTATING SHAFT, GLOVE, WORK RULES, FOREARM, CAUGHT BY, CONSTRUCTION, AUGER, DRILL RIG--NON-OIL