Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 001 Hazard:

OSH ACT of 1970 Section (5)(a)(1): Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970: The employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment which were free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees in that employees were exposed to "stuck by" hazards associated with high pressure equipment. (a)Cyclone Rig #17, 05-045-22491-00, Parachute, CO, 81635: On and before October 21st, 2014, the employer did not ensure a threaded two inch pipe nipple used as a means of connection to a fill line valve was adequately secured and could support the pressures involved. As a result of high pressure and inadequate securement (threads of engagement) between the two inch pipe nipple and two inch (Fill Line) valve (Serial #RD12060058), the valve violently separated from the pipe nipple. The two inch pipe nipple was found to have been inadequately tightened into the fill line valve resulting in catastrophic failure of the connection. An employee was fatality injured after being struck by the fill line valve. Abatement Note: Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable means of abatement is to adopt the following "Corrective Actions" listed in the International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC), Safety Alert document #08-02, titled Standpipe Pressure Gauge Thread Nipple Failure (Under Pressure). 1)Rig supervisors are to ensure crewmembers know how to properly install a high pressure nipple and/or attachments (i.e., gauge, nipple, blow-plug, T-junctions, etc.) 2)When installing or repairing a high pressure line and/or attachments, this task must be supervised by the Rig Manager or Driller to ensure proper nipple selection and installation. 3)Inspect all high pressure lines and fittings to ensure the correct amount of threads have been "buried" (threaded) into the receiving receptacle. Abatement Note: Among other methods, a feasible and acceptable means of abatement would be to ensure all threaded pipe is wrench tight per Table 2 found in the American National Standards Institute/American Society of Mechanical Engineers ANSI/ASME B1.20.1. For two inch pipe, table 2 in this document considers 5 engaged threads to be "hand-tight" with 3 additional threads to be considered "wrench-tight" (total of 8 threads).