OSHA Inspection: BAKER HUGHES INC DBA BAKER OIL TOOLS

Issued

Feb 13, 2008

Abate by

Feb 20, 2008

Penalty

Initial $5,000

General-duty citation text

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970:  The
employer did not
furnish to each of his employees a place of employment which was free from
recognized hazards
that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to
employees in that
employees were exposed to the hazard of a gas well blowout due to the
usage of a Guiberson
JU Stripper Head in a manner that did not adhere to the manufacturer's
specifications and
instructions:
Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable method to correct this
hazard is to ensure that
the well supervisor and crew have a thorough working knowledge of all
applicable well control
principles and equipment employed for stripping in accordance with Section
21.3 (Personnel
Preparedness) of the American Petroleum Institute (API) Recommended
Practice 53,
Recommended Practices for Blowout Prevention Equipment Systems for
Drilling Wells.
DISCLAIMERS:
1) You are not limited to the abatement methods suggested above.
2) The methods explained are general and may not be effective in all cases.
3) The employer is responsible for selecting and carrying out an
appropriate method.iate