Alert 15-10 Fatality on Drill Floor
WHAT HAPPENED:
A drill crew was in the process of running a 36” casing string on a 6 5/8” landing string. They had run 31 stands of 6 5/8” landing string with no problems. The hydraracker (HR) was positioned and latched onto stand 32. After getting verbal confirmation from the spotter that the finger latches were open, the HR operator attempted to remove stand 32 from the finger boards. The stand was retracted towards the HR but got blocked by a finger on the lower finger board. See photo below. The HR operator continued to retract the HR arms. With all 3 arms in a retracted position and the stand still held firm behind the finger latch, energy became built up in the stand. This energy was suddenly released when the latches of the HR lower tailing arm could no longer withstand the forces, allowing the stand to recoil back towards the setback area, striking the IP who was engaged in the operation and unaware that he had placed himself in the line of fire. See diagram below. His injuries were immediate and fatal.