Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 002 Hazard: UNAPOPPROC

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970: The employer did not furnish to each of his employees a place of employment which was free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees in that employees were exposed to the hazard of: a) For the period of time up to and including 08 Dec 04, The employer did not always assure that the rig was rigged up in a safe manner prior to the commencement of well operations. Drilling operations had begun without the proper number of guywires attached and secured to anchors. This condition allowed for the two (2) guywires that were installed to be pulled from the ground, becoming de-tensioned, which allowed for the derrick to move noticeably when changing out bit(tripping in/out of the hole. The condition exposed employees to the hazards associated with a collapsing/failure of derrick rig #1. American Petroleum Institute Recommended Practice RP54 Paragraph 6.3.2 states that "Well operations involving the rig shall not be commenced until the rig is rigged up in a safe manner." Among other means, one feasible and acceptable method to correct this hazard would be to install the correct number of guywires in accordance with the manufacturers recommendations or install guywires in accordance with the minimum requirements as set forth in American Petroleum Institute Recommended Practice API RP 4G Second Edition dated Oct 1998 Paragraphs 6.1-8 and appendix A Fig A-1.6. DISCLAIMER: 1) You are not limited to the abatement methods suggested above. 2) The methods explained are general and may not be effective in all cases. 3) The employer is responsible for selecting and carrying out an appropriate method.iate