Alert 13 – 06 Poor Communication Amongst Crew Results in Injury
WHAT HAPPENED:
The crew had just finished cutting the drill line and was preparing to lower the loose piece of drill line to the ground. The loose piece of drill line was tied off on one end to keep it from free falling to the ground, while the other end was lying on the rig floor on the off drillers’ side. The crew members on the rig floor were told to stay clear of the area in preparation for the drill line to be lowered to the ground. The Rig Manager was preparing the hoist line and a strap, which was to be used for this procedure, when another crew member mistakenly cut the rope that, was holding the drill line, thereby allowing the drill line to free fall to the ground. An employee, who was standing under the substructure, was struck with the piece of drill line as it fell to the ground. The injured employee suffered a cut/scrape from this incident that required first aid treatment only.