Alert 06 – 03 High Potential Near Miss / Dropped Lifting Sub
WHAT HAPPENED:
When the driller broke out the lifting sub used to help make up bottom hole assembly (BHA), he hoisted it up approximately 20’ to allow the insertion of the Measurement While Drilling (MWD) probe. This activity took about ten minutes. After completion the driller, forgetting the lifting sub was still suspended by elevators,
lined them up on the next stand. Since he had a restricted line of sight, he did not see the lift sub before opening the elevators to grab the next stand. This resulted in the sub falling 20 plus feet to the rig floor, causing a serious near miss and equipment damage.