OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14527824
HERNDON WELL & SUPPLY, INC.
HOLLY SPRINGS, MS·
Event description
Employee killed by rotary drilling rig pipe tong handle
Investigation abstract
Employee #1 worked as a driller's helper on one of two, 3-man crews drilling an , and the rotary turning clockwise applied torque to the bottom tenth section of pipe. A 7/16 in. diameter by 4.302 ft long wire rope snub-line, which was restr aining the 2.182 ft long tong handle, snapped when the rotary transmission's tor que was applied. The tong handle was free to rotate, and struck Employee #1 in t he left mid-chest. This severe chest trauma broke no bones but caused cardiac ar rest. Employee #1 was transported to Marshall County Hospital, but died after ef forts on site and at the hospital failed to restart his heart. The tongs were a type D drill pipe tubing and casing tong set by Web Wilson, a division of Cooper Industries, Martin-Decker Division, Woodlawn, TX. The rig was a Gardner Denver wide mast-40, portable drilling rig, serial #4235. The wire rope snub-line was p 18 in. diameter replacement water well for the city of Holly Springs, MS. His jo reformed steel, 19 by 7, rotation resistant, right regular lay with IWRC (indepe ndent wire rope core), with red paint marking several strands (this most likely was a Leschen Wire Rope Company brand cable). Causal factors include: the snubli ne was too long, breakout cathead and tongs were not being used, and Employee #1 was in the wrong position. b was to operate the pipe tongs (wrench) at the rear of a portable drilling rig on the day shift on Wednesday, February 15, 1989, a misty, cold day. At 8:00 a.m ., the day shift crew began removing the twelve pipe sections plus an 18 in. dia meter dummy casing section which had been strung into the hole by the night crew . The day crew had successfully removed 8 pipe sections and Employee #1 had latc hed the tong jaws around the ninth pipe section above the threaded pipe joint. B ut he did not step back when the driller engaged the rotary table's transmission
Victim
-
#1 Fatality Age 18 M
- Nature of injury
- Bruise/Contus/Abras (3)
- Part of body
- CHEST (5)
- Accident type
- STRUCK BY (1)
- Source of injury
- OTHER (43)
- Occupation
- Occupation not reported (999)
- Human factor
- POSITION INAPROPRIATE FOR TASK (10)
- Environmental factor
- OTHER (18)
- Task assigned
- Task regularly assigned (1)
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