Alert 99 – 11 Drill Pipe Slips
WHAT HAPPENED:
1. Incident No. 1 – Employee caught his hand between the drill pipe slips and the elevators during a trip in the hole. Injury sustained included a cut across palm and top of the hand. All three crewmembers were setting the slips into place. The slips apparently hung on the side of the bushings and caused them to tip the rear handle forward.
2. Incident No. 2 – Employee caught his hand between the drill pipe slips and the elevators during a trip in the hole. Injury sustained included amputation of the index finger and cut across the top of the hand. All three crewmembers were setting the slips into place. The injured employee, holding the rear handle, apparently pushed the slips toward the bushings before the other two employees started pulling the slips. The rear handle swung upward and the employee’s hand was caught between the handle and the elevators.