Inspection Detail

Inspection: 103582011 - Greene'S Pressure Testing & Rentals, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Corpus Christi Area Office

Investigation Summary

The employer was testing the blowout preventers. The drilling contractor had just completed running casing to the 8,350 foot level and had cemented it. The employee for the pressure testing company was having trouble with the valves on the testing unit. Employees of the drilling contractor, including Employee #1, were working under the substructure very close to the blowout preventer on the kill line side. A low pressure ball valve and connections had been installed at the end of the kill line and had been used to allow drilling mud to be pumped downhole from the trip tank when tripping the drill pipe out of the wellbore. Employees were hooking up the flowline to the blowout preventer stack, tightening the bell nipple and pressure sleeve, and connecting the turnbuckles. After two valves on the pressure unit were repaired, the testing company's employee told the driller to open up the HCR and close the blind rams. The driller said OK. The testing company's employee then raised the low pressure to 500 pounds. The drilling contractor's employees, who were working very close to the kill line with the ball valve, were not informed of the beginning of the actual test of the blowout preventer. After reaching the low pressure test of 500 pounds, the pressure was boosted and was going to test at 8,500 pounds; however, the low pressure schedule 40 nipple, which was threaded into a 10,000 psi flange, ripped open and failed at approximately 2,500 pounds of pressure. Employee #1 was struck by the pressure and died.

Keywords: EQUIPMENT FAILURE, TEST EQUIPMENT, BLOWOUT--OIL WELL, GAS WELL DRILLING, REPAIR, OIL WELL DRILLING, HIGH PRESSURE, STRUCK BY, COMMUNICATION, PRESSURE RELEASE