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

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 fire and/or explosion hazards in that (a) Springer Well #13: On or about 12/03/2007 two employees were removing a BOP blowout preventor flange from the orbital valve of the pressurized well head. As the workers were unscrewing the flange, they inadvertently were also disengaging the threads at the nipple and the section of piping at the well head until only two threads remained intact. The natural gas pressure blew the Tulsa orbital valve, the BOP flange and the section of piping from the wellhead which resulted in one worker being fatally injured and the other worker seriously injured. Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable method of abatement is to maintain well control at all times. Consideration must be made to ensure appropriate equipment and materials are on location and operational before work commences as outlined in the American Petroleum Institute, Recommended Practice for Occupational Safety for Oil and Gas Well Drilling and Servicing Operations, API Recommended Practice 54, Third Edition, Section 6.1.1, dated 1999, reaffirmed 2007.