Inspection Detail

Inspection: 125873125 - C And L Drilling

Inspection Information - Office: San Diego District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 8:00 a.m. on May 9, 2004, an employee was working as a motor man and a coworker was working as dairy can man. They both were supervised by the same supervisor. The drilling rig was newly purchased and shipped out from Texas. The employee and other coworkers were unwrapping the packaged drill rig so it could be constructed and put into operation to drill for hot brine for the production of electricity. The employee was standing on a metal ladder attached to drilling rig trying to assemble the sixth portion of the sub base of the drilling rig. A 4-inch-diameter 25-foot- long heavy mud line pipe was tied off to a 2-inch water line by a cotton bungee like rope. The coworker pushed the 4-inch mud line to the edge of the rig's sub base to get a sling around the pipe and then be lowered by a crane, but the 4-inch mud line pipe slipped off the edge before the sling was in place causing the cotton bungee rope to break. The employee was standing on the ladder about 12 ft up from the ground when the 4-inch mud line that made contact with the left side of his body, ankle, leg and elbow. The employee sustained a major laceration to his left leg under the knee, a broken left leg, fractured left ankle, and dislocated left elbow. He was transported to the Pioneers Memorial Hospital by ambulance from the accident site. The employee was stabilized at Pioneers Memorial Hospital and then transported to Scripps Hospital in La Jolla. The employee later died.

Keywords: KNEE, FRACTURE, DISLOCATED, STRUCK BY, ELBOW, OIL RIG, LEG