• Safety Alerts

  Worker’s Leg Amputated by Parted Sand Line

  Posted by Nigel on 15 May 2022 at 8:17 am

  Energy Safety Canada has reported a well service crew was swabbing when the swab
  assembly reached the top of the well and parted the
  sand line. The rig manager was manually spooling the
  last six wraps of the sand line and became entangled in
  the parted line. The driller reacted, moving the
  throttle in the wrong direction and energized the line,
  which cinched on the rig manager’s leg.

  The rig
  manager was launched into the raising ram of the
  service rig and sustained a leg amputation and other
  serious injuries.

  What Went Wrong:

  • Several sets of flags, 3-2-1, in use and visible on
  the second swab were no longer visible on the
  third swab of this horizontal well.

  • Personnel did not recognize how close the swab
  assembly was to the surface (at the top of the
  lubricator) because of sun in their eyes,
  multitasking and other distractions.

  • The throttle control configuration on this rig
  operates in the opposite direction of the typical
  driller’s draw works controls. During this high
  stress moment, the driller activated the throttle
  control in the wrong direction.

  Actions Taken/Recommendations:

  • Ensure flags are designed to withstand the
  conditions of the well they are being used for.
  • Investigate the use of fail-safe measures so the
  swabbing assembly is not pulled up too far, even if
  flags become worn/not visible or an error or
  mistake is made (i.e., ensure there is capacity to
  fail safely).

  • Review control configurations to ensure they are
  consistent.

  • Review the incident and job safety analysis (JSA)
  with all operations personnel prior to swabbing.

  • Prior to conducting swabbing operations, the rig
  manager must get approval from the field
  superintendent to ensure safeguards are in place
  and everyone understands their roles and
  responsibilities.

  Our thanks to Energy Safety Canada for sharing this safety alert to prevent another incident of this kind happening again.

  Nigel replied 1 year, 11 months ago 1 Member · 0 Replies
• 0 Replies

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