Alert 99 – 18 Power Tong Incident
WHAT HAPPENED:
The power tongs became stuck while tripping out of the hole. The floorman, who had his back to the driller, put his hand inside the tongs to see if he could determine the problem. The driller thought he heard the floorman call for power, and engaged the hydraulic power. The tongs rotated, severing all four fingers and the thumb of the floorman’s left hand.