OSHA Inspection: SUN WELL SERVICE, INC.

Issued

Apr 29, 2013

Abate by

May 6, 2013

Penalty

Initial $3,500 · Current $2,450 Reduced

General-duty citation text

Section 5(a)(1): 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 fall hazards:   (a) On or about April 17, 2013, for employees exposed to an approximate 60-foot fall hazard while working from the derrickman's tubing platform where the employer had installed an emergency egress "Geronimo" safety slide anchor approximately 88 feet from the wellbore and was rigged with one U-bolt clamp at Mell 44-21H well site, 93rd Avenue and Hwy 2, Ross, ND.      Among other methods, feasible and acceptable abatement methods to correct the hazard would be for the employer to correctly install and rig the "Geronimo" safety slide ground anchor cable to a minimum distance of twice the height of the derrickman's working platform to create the recommended maximum angle of descent or install a controlled descent apparatus to limit the distance required by a standard "Geronimo" safety slide ground anchor in accordance with the Manufacturer's Operator's Manual, pages 9-11, "INSTALLATION", Illustrations 1 and 3. Also (API) American Petroleum Institute Recommended Practice 54, Third Edition, "Recommended Practice for Occupational Safety for Oil and Gas Well Drilling and Servicing Operations", section 6.10 "AUXILIARY ESCAPE", subsection 6.10.1a, "...it is recommended that the ground anchor point of the escape line should be located a minimum lateral distance from the derrick or mast equal to two times the height of the work platform."