The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) has released its Investigative Report on the incident that occurred on Helmerich & Payne (H&P) 100 on August 13, 2020. The rig was operating on Talos Oil and Gas LLC’s production facility located in Green Canyon Block 18, OCS–G04940. During the incident, the a floorhand had three fingers on his left hand amputated.
The BSEE report, documented what occurred:
The designated Floorhand was hoisted overhead in a riding belt using the Manrider winch to remove the hydraulic lines from the 3.1 foot long dual pack-off that sat on top of the 27.9 foot tall lubricator. Once the hydraulic lines were removed, the Floorhand was lowered back to the drill floor. The Iron Roughneck was used to break the connection between the drill pipe stump and the lubricator. Again, the Floorhand was hoisted in the air with the Manrider winch to secure a wire sling around the lubricator. Once the sling was attached, he was lowered to the drill floor. With the lubricator left hanging on the sling attached to the air tugger, the Floorhand was hoisted and began to loosen the connection between the dual pack-off and the lubricator. Once the connection was loose, the wireline operator engaged the unit with the dual pack-off resting on top of the wireline tool. As the wireline tool was pulled from the lubricator, the Floorhand extended his left hand to guide the tool. The wireline suddenly pulled free from the rope socket, causing the wireline and the 65 pound dual pack off to fall back on top of the lubricator and amputate the thumb and two fingers on the Floorhand’s left hand.
BSEE also found an Incident of Nonconformance:
On August 13, 2020, an H&P floorhand was hoisted in a riding belt with the Manrider winch to disconnect the Bowen connection on top of the lubricator. After the disconnection, he remained in the riding belt, and used his left hand to guide the wireline tool string to the rig floor after it was pulled out of the lubricator. The wireline pulled out of the rope socket letting the tool string and pack off box fall and impact the top of the lubricator causing the amputation of the floorhand’s thumb and two fingers on his left hand.
- Floorhand failed to follow H&P Offshores Hands Free Work Objective policy.
- Driller and other drill crew members witnessed the floorhand reach out with his left hand to guide the wireline tool but failed to stop the job in accordance with the H&P Offshore Hands Free Work Objective policy.
Safe offshore companies must insure that adequate precautions are taken, including proper communication between workers, and adequate supervision from the managers on site. When an offshore accident like this one occurs, there are often multiple causes which contribute to it. Risks that may present themselves while working on an offshore platform must be carefully evaluated before work begins.
One mechanism to safely evaluate and prepare for risks is through the use of a Job Safety Analysis (“JSA”) or Risk Assessment, which is required for safe maritime or offshore work. When a proper hazard analysis does not occur, it can result in catastrophic personal injury or death. In a JSA, each step of the job is examined to identify potential hazards and to recommend how to minimize those risks in each step. Ultimately, a JSA used for work on a platform should be detailed enough in order to cover all of the important steps on a job. Accidents like this are often known risks, which must be planned for by platform owners and operators.
Our attorneys have extensive experience in maritime injury and wrongful death litigation in courts across the country and the skills needed to represent the families of loved ones who have lost their lives as a result of the negligence of another party, or been seriously injured. We have handled numerous cases involving injuries that occurred on offshore platforms. The experienced offshore accident attorneys at Spagnoletti Law Firm can help you understand your rights if you or a loved one was a victim of an offshore crane accident. Please contact us online or call 713-804-9306 or 877-678-5864 to learn more about your legal rights.