Inspection Detail

Inspection: 311087308 - Youngquist Brothers, Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Fort Lauderdale Area Office

Investigation Summary

On November 17, 2007, Employee #1 was working from the rod basket of an oil rig was guiding the testing rod onto a holding rack. Employee #1 was approximately 70 ft above the ground in the rod basket. Employee #1 was wearing fall protection at the time and was using leather gloves. The crew Employee #1 worked with consisted of five other employees who worked below him at the base of the rig. One employee operated the controls of the rig and the others secured the rods or testing tubes with clamps. Employee #1's job was to guide the testing rods onto the holding rack to either be lowered into the hole or taken out. At the time of the accident the crew did not have radio communication and the chains used to lift the rods did not have a safety clasp to keep the load secured as it was being lifted or lowered. The crew was assigned to perform testing of the rods to ensure no leakage was occurring in the ground. The tubes were 3.5-in. in diameter and weighed approximately 9.3 pounds-per-foot with each rod measuring to be approximately 31-ft to 32-ft in length. One of the testing rod being lifted went through the "fingers" of the holding rack, causing the rod basket to be lifted from its' position and then dropped once the tube rod broke through the holding rack "fingers". Employee #1's body hit the side of the rod basket causing severe internal organ damage resulting in his death.

Keywords: DERRICKMAN, DRILL PIPE, STRUCK AGAINST, FALL PROTECTION, OIL RIG