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

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 struck by hazards: 1) On or about June 17, 2008, an employee of Swan Oilfield Services working on a job for EOG Resources on the Wallace A-1-H well in Erath County, east of Morgan Mill, Texas. The employer had not ensured that prior to pressuring up the casing on the well that each section of line was adequately secured to prevent unsafe movement. This condition exposed employees to the hazard of being struck by the hose in the event the hose blew or had a systems failure. Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable abatement method to correct this hazard is to follow the: "Corrective Actions" section listed in the "Safety Alerts" (98-23;98-01; 01- 40; 03-14); bulletins published by the International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC) thereby ensuring that properly rated, placed and secured safety clamps are utilized on all high pressure hoses. Another possible abatement method is to follow the American Petroleum Institute (API) Recommended Practice 54, paragraph 9.13.3 which states that "Each section of high pressure rigid line should be secured using appropriate means to prevent movement should the line fail. Flexible high pressure hoses should be properly secured to prevent unsafe movement.