Inspection Detail

Inspection: 300833670 - Kenai Drilling Limited

Inspection Information - Office: Van Nuys District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 5:10 a.m. on March 29, 2006, Employee #1 was working at a remote oil well drilling site, where 240 workers were employed. He had been working there for one week. He was a "floorman," someone who attaches drill pipe to the auxiliary winch ("tugger") line. He was attaching drill pipe to the auxiliary winch cable to move the pipe from the storage area ("V-door") to the staging slot ("mouse hole"), and he was in the tenth hour of his twelve hour shift. He was wrapping a wire rope sling around the outside of the internally threaded end of a 33-foot long drill pipe. This procedure involved wrapping the sling around the pipe twice and passing the loop of one end of the sling through the loop on the other end of the sling. This wrap is referred to as a "choke". After the sling was attached to the winch line, the "motorman" applied tension to the winch line. As the end of the pipe attached to the winch began to lift, the other end of the pipe rolled off the right side of the storage platform, and the attached end of the pipe swung to the left, striking Employee #1 in the chest and knocking him though the opening of the storage area. He fell thirty feet from the elevated work platform to the dirt surface below, fracturing the C-5 vertebra in his neck. He was transported to Kern County Medical Center, where he was hospitalized and received treatment for his broken neck. The investigation concluded that the Employee #1 was not properly trained on the hazards associated with his job, the drill pipe was not properly stored to prevent unintentional movement, and Employee #1 was exposed to a falling hazard without proper protection. As a result, the Division issued two serious accident-related citations, T8 3210(c) Failure to provide guard rails or other suitable protection, and T8 3241(c) Material not stored properly; and a general citation, T8 3203(a)(7) Not providing training to new employees.

Keywords: FRACTURE, DRILL PIPE, OIL WELL DRILLING, FALL, FALL PROTECTION, NECK, STRUCK BY, ELEVATED WORK PLAT, FALLING OBJECT, VERTEBRA