Alert 14 – 05 Air Winch Line Caught in Derrick Fingers Results in an Employee Being Pulled Off of the Rig Floor
WHAT HAPPENED:
While rigging up a fill and circulation (FAC) tool, the air winch line became trapped in the fingers on the derrick. This prevented the tool from aligning with the wellbore for installation. The tool was lowered in to the V-door to take the weight off and thus free the cable. As an employee pulled the cable free from the derrick fingers it jerked violently pulling the employee off of the rig floor. The employee was thrown approximately 10 feet (3 meters) off of the rig floor and fell striking his head on the edge of the V-door. The employee then fell another 20 feet (6 meters) to the ground.