Inspection Detail

Inspection: 302385737 - Nabors Drilling Usa, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Oklahoma City Area Office

Investigation Summary

Employee #1, a 20-year-old derrickman, was handling the tops of drilling pipe stands on the 87 ft high racking board of the derrick of an oil and gas well that was nearly finished being drilled to 14,000 ft. The drilling pipe was being partially removed--referred to as tripping off--as part of logging off the well. He was secured with a body harness to a retractable fall protection lanyard and a work positioning restraint line. The evening tower crew had just started its shift and was tripping back into the well. Employee #1 was on the racking board placing the tops of the drilling pipe stands into the elevators; Employee #2 was on the drilling floor with the rest of the crew. It was decided to circulate the well, and Employee #1 was called down. As he was preparing to descend, he was told that there had been a change in plans and to stay put because the tripping was to resume. Employee #1 went back and grabbed the next stand. He was moving toward the elevators but missed them and was carried across the derrick by the stand. He fell off the platform, striking the derrick structure, and giving Employee #2 a glancing blow before landing on the drilling floor. Employee #1 was killed and Employee #2 sustained injuries that required hospitalization. Personal fall protection equipment was available to Employee #1, the equipment was serviceable and without defects, and all employees had been instructed to tie off. It was believed that Employee #1 had not reconnected the restraint line or the fall protection lanyard when he was told to stay on the racking board. The use of either of these would have prevented him1 from falling to the drilling floor.

Keywords: DERRICK, DERRICKMAN, WORK RULES, OIL WELL DRILLING, STRUCK AGAINST, LANYARD, FALL, ELEVATED WORK PLAT, TIE-OFF, DERRICK PLATFORM