Inspection Detail

Inspection: 108741653 - Unit Drilling Company

Inspection Information - Office: Oklahoma City Area Office

Investigation Summary

On November 13, 1992, Employee #1, a stabber on a casing crew, and his coworkers were at a newly drilled well to hydrostatically test some tubing and then run it into the well. The crew had a lay down machine and a casing hydrostatic test unit with them. The tubing joints to be tested were raised to the rig floor by the lay-down machine. A wire mesh sling was attached to the tubing joint and the joint was raised into the derrick. When the bottom of the joint was in position, Employee #1 removed the sling and held the joint upright while it was rotated to engage the threads. The hydrostatic testing tool was then lowered into the joint and the joint was tested and then lowered into the well. At approximately 7:10 a.m., Employee #1's head apparently got caught between a rig member and swaying elevators. While it is unclear what caused the elevators to sway, they may have caught on one side of the tubing joint, which would have slightly bent the joint and could have thrown the elevators toward Employee #1 as it straightened out. The elevators could have caught on the tubing joint if the testing tool had caught in the joint or if the elevators had come down off-center. The elevators could have come down off-center if they were being lowered too fast, which would have caused them to swing from side to side. The elevators could also have been off-center if the traveling block had been stopped suddenly as the elevators reached the top of the tubing joint. Employee #1's head was crushed from the side and he was killed.

Keywords: DERRICK, HEAD, ELEVATOR, CAUGHT BETWEEN, CRUSHED, OIL WELL SERVICING