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: Rig mast; on or about February 4, 2009, employees utilizing an oil/gas well service rig were replacing the downhole pump, the derrick hand was working on the sucker rod basket racking the sucker rod removed from the well; the mast emergency escape system had not been relocated to the rod basket elevation. This prevented the derrick hand from making timely emergency egress from the mast during rig emergencies with hazards as: fire, explosion, flying objects, and rig collapse. The American Petroleum Institute Recommended Practice for Occupational Safety for Oil and Gas Well drilling and Servicing Operations, RP54, 6.10.1 requires that an auxiliary means of escape be installed on rig mast/derrick and that it provides a ready and convenient means of escape from the derrickman's working platform. Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable abatement method to correct this hazard is to assure that the escape system is moved to the mast location at which the derrickman is working.