Safety Incidents OSHA Severe Injury Reports · 2015–2025
5,194,531Inspections Most recent open 2026-08-11 Last loaded 2026-08-14

OSHA Inspection: ARENA DRILLING CO.

Accident-driven inspection · Safety discipline

On , OSHA opened an accident-driven safety inspection of ARENA DRILLING CO. in RIG 10, THORNBERRY 5A #5, ANDREWS, TX 79714 (NAICS 213111). OSHA activity number 313123432.

What this inspection record means

OSHA opens inspections for many reasons: routine scheduling under a national or local emphasis program, an employee complaint or referral, or a follow-up after a reported injury. Opening or conducting an inspection is not itself an allegation or a finding that this employer broke any rule; any findings appear as the citations listed below, and citations can be contested, reduced, or withdrawn.

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Establishment
ARENA DRILLING CO.
Site address
RIG 10, THORNBERRY 5A #5
City
ANDREWS
State
TX
ZIP
79714
Mailing
1600 W BROADWAY, ANDREWS, TX 79714
Inspection type
Accident-driven (A)
Scope
Partial (B)
Discipline
Safety
Advance notice
Yes
Union status
Non-union (N)
Opened
Closing conference
Case closed
Last modified
Data loaded
NAICS code
213111
SIC code (legacy)
1381
Employees
47
Ownership type
Private (A)

2 citations on file for this inspection.

5(a)(1)

Serious Gravity 10 1 instance 5 exposed
Issued
Apr 26, 2010
Abate by
May 13, 2010
Penalty
Initial $2,800 · Current $2,240 Reduced
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 the condition(s) listed below:
Arena Drilling Company, Rig #10, 11 Miles SW of Andrews, Thornberry 5A #5,
Andrews,
Texas. For the period of time up to and including January 20, 2010,
employees were exposed
to caught by hazards while being raised and lowered by an air hoist to
clean the derrick. One
employee was fatally injured when he was holding the cable to the make up
tong and the tong
detached from the derrick causing the employee to come in contact with the
rotating kelly.
Feasible and Acceptable Abatement Methods would include:
1. Ensure that employees are not raised and lowered by the air hoist.
2. Ensure that employees are not cleaning the derrick around rotating
equipment such as the
kelly.
"Pursuant to 29 CFR 1903.19(d), the employer must provide documentation
that this violation
has been abated within 10 calendar days after the abatement date.
Recent events (2)
  • · I (S) $2240.00
  • · Z (S) $2800.00

5(a)(1)

Serious Gravity 10 1 instance 5 exposed
Issued
Apr 26, 2010
Abate by
May 13, 2010
Penalty
Initial $2,800 · Current $2,240 Reduced
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 the condition(s) listed below:
Arena Drilling Company, Rig #10, 11 Miles SW of Andrews, Thornberry 5A,
#5, Andrews,
Texas. For the period of time up to and including January 20, 2010,
employees were exposed
to fall hazards while performing work operations such as cleaning the
derrick. Employees were
elevated at approximately 25 feet above the rig floor. The employees were
being raised and
lowered by an air hoist. the air hoist was attached to the safety harness
with a lanyard used as
a fall arrest system. One employee was fatally injured as he was lowered
to the rig floor by an
air hoist.
Feasible and Acceptable Abatement Methods would include:
1. Ensure that employees are not lowered and raised by an air hoist to
clean the derrick.
2. Ensure that employees use the correct application and use of fall
protection equipment.
3. Ensure that employees use appropriate fall arrest system while cleaning
the derrick.
"Pursuant to 29 CFR 1903.19(d), the employer must provide documentation
that
this violation
has been abated within 10 calendar days after the abatement date."ent
Recent events (2)
  • · I (S) $2240.00
  • · Z (S) $2800.00

This record is reproduced from the U.S. Department of Labor Open Data API (OSHA inspection dataset). OSHA publishes its own view of this case as inspection number 313123432.

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