Alert 08 – 01 Working with Rotating Control Devices
WHAT HAPPENED:
Incident #1 – The rotating control device (RCD) was leaking so the driller sent an employee to open the clamp on it. When the driller used the drawworks to hoist the pipe and pull the rotating control device from the bowl, the gasket was pulled out. The employee was attempting to replace the gasket when the rotating control device slid down the pipe smashing his hand between it and the bowl severely injuring the employee’s hand.
Incident #2 – The spinning chain was being used to spin up the joint of pipe that had the RCD on it. As the pipe was turned up, the RCD slid down the pipe and smashed the employee’s thumb between it and the spinning chain.
Incident #3 – The crew was installing the RCD on 4 ½ inch casing. The RCD slid down the pipe and smashed the employee’s finger between it and the casing slips.
Incident #4 – Crew was nippling up the RCD to the BOP stack. As the control device was lowered the injured employee’s finger was smashed between it and one of the studs.