OSHA Inspection: SWAN OIL FIELD SERVICES

Issued

Sep 16, 2008

Abate by

Oct 20, 2008

Penalty

Initial $5,000 · Current $2,500 Reduced

General-duty citation text

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970:  The
employer did not
furnish employment and a place of employment which were free from
recognized hazards
that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to
employees in that
employees were exposed to struck by hazards:
1)  On or about June 17, 2008, an employee of Swan Oilfield Services
working on a job for
EOG Resources on the Wallace A-1-H well in Erath County, east of Morgan
Mill, Texas.
The employer had not ensured that prior to pressuring up the casing on the
well that each
section of line was adequately secured to prevent unsafe movement.  This
condition exposed
employees to the hazard of being struck by the hose in the event the hose
blew or had a
systems failure.
Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable abatement method to
correct this hazard
is to follow the: "Corrective Actions" section listed in the "Safety
Alerts" (98-23;98-01; 01-
40; 03-14); bulletins published by the International Association of
Drilling Contractors
(IADC) thereby ensuring that properly rated, placed and secured safety
clamps are utilized
on all high pressure hoses.
Another possible abatement method is to follow the American Petroleum
Institute (API)
Recommended Practice 54, paragraph 9.13.3 which states that "Each section
of high pressure
rigid line should be secured using appropriate means to prevent  movement
should
the line
fail.  Flexible high pressure hoses should be properly secured to prevent
unsafe movement.