Alert 06 – 42 Maintenance – Trapped Pressure
WHAT HAPPENED:
A Subsea Specialist and an Assistant Subsea Specialist were transferring nitrogen from one cylinder to another by taking nitrogen from partially filled cylinders to fill others. The assistant had completed the job, and after closing the valves on the cylinders, bled the pressure off the line by breaking the connection with a wrench. After the pressure bled down and he began removing the connection, a final release of nitrogen suddenly occurred. This startled the employee and caused him to jerk his head out of the way, striking the cylinder rack and chipping a tooth.