Alert 14 – 06 Tank Cable Strike Results in Injury to Employee
WHAT HAPPENED:
Two employees were assigned to lay down the standing 400bbl tanks. The task involves attaching a winch line to the tank bridle and pulling the tank onto the bed of a truck. The bed truck, with the tank attached, was then moved to the desired location and the tank was positioned and unloaded (laid down) to face the lease entrance so a truck tractor can then pick up the tank and haul it to a location to be cleaned. In this incident, the driver of the truck placed his truck in reverse so as to position it in front of the tank while the swamper attached the truck winch to the tank bridle. The tank bridle was visually inspected prior to being attached and did not appear to be faulty. As the truck driver began to winch the tank onto the truck, the bottom of the tank slipped (kicked) out, the tank bridle broke, and the winch line snapped back towards the rear of the truck cab. The winch line tail chain punched through the rear window of the truck, striking the driver on the right side of his head and face. The driver was taken to hospital for examination and x-rays and was released the same day.