Alert 12 – 09 Tangled Fall Arrest Cable Results in Fatality
WHAT HAPPENED:
A pipe screen was left in the drill pipe that was racked in the derrick board. The derrickman could not free the screen, so the motorman went up to the derrick board with a tool to pry it out. After prying it out, the pipe was made up into the drill string. The driller started to lower the drill string into the hole when the motorman’s retractable fall arrest cable became entangled with the safety clamp on the Kelly hose. The motorman was knocked to the derrick board and could not get his fall arrest cable untangled. Due to the weight and force of the blocks and top drive, the fall arrest cable parted and he fell 75’ (~23m) to the rig floor.