Safety Incidents OSHA Severe Injury Reports · 2015–2025
105,991Records 70,589Employers 85,836Hospitalizations 27,959Amputations 2015-01-01 2025-11-30

OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14504203

STERLING DRILLING CO.

Event
HEAD, BRAKE, TRAVELLING BLOCK, OIL WELL DRILLING, CAUGHT BETWEEN, CRUSHED, DRAWWORKS, OIL RIG
NAICS
000000
Inspection type
Accident-driven
Activity number
#106028293
Employer profile
STERLING DRILLING CO.
Summary number
14504203
Report ID
729700

Event description

Employee dies of crushed head in rig

Investigation abstract

Employee #1, an oil well driller, was operating the drawwork on rig #4 making a connection. When he went to apply the brake a piece of hand line caught around t he handle, which prevented it from applying full force on the brakes. The blocks came down, catching the employee between the blocks and the drawworks. He susta ined massive head injuries and died.

Victim

  1. #1 Fatality Age 33 Male

    Nature of injury
    Other (21)
    Part of body
    HEAD (13)
    Accident type
    CAUGHT IN OR BETWEEN (2)
    Source of injury
    HOISTING APPARATUS (24)
    Occupation
    Occupation not reported (999)
    Human factor
    MALFUNC IN SECURING/WARNING OP (4)
    Environmental factor
    OVERHEAD MOVING/FALLING OBJ AC (6)
    Task assigned
    Task regularly assigned (1)

Labels are OSHA's own, from the code dictionary published with the accident-investigation file. The raw code is shown beside each one so this page can be reconciled against OSHA's bulk data. OSHA notes that nature of injury, part of body, source of injury and accident type in this file are not coded to the Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System, and that the occupation titles are not standardised — so these values are not directly comparable with the OIICS-coded severe injury reports.