Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Occidental Petroleum Corporation, Graves St 5 Well Pad, PECOS, TEXAS 79772
on — Soreness, pain, hurt-nonspecified injury, affecting the thigh(s).
Final narrative
An employee was bleeding down injection lines, using a 36-inch pipe wrench, to let hydrates thaw overnight. A valve was opened and pressure (about 900 psi) was released, causing a section of pipe to come loose and strike the employee's leg above the knee. He was hospitalized.
An employee was depressurizing an isolated section of piping in preparation to service a CO2 injection well meter. The 1/2-inch meter assembly piping parted and struck the employee, fracturing their right humerus.
An employee was tossing a damaged toilet into a compactor. The toilet bounced off the compactor and lacerated the employee's right wrist, cutting an artery and tendon.
An employee was operating a hydraulic jack to bend a frame when the jack came loose and struck the employee. They were hospitalized for a spleen injury.
A truck had been towed into the shop with a flat tire and a blown airbag. An employee checked the tire for damage and was airing the tire. The employee was installing the valve core when the bead slipped off the rim. Air escaped, and the aluminum wheel struck the employee's head and face. The employee became unresponsive and was bleeding.
On December 14, 2023, at 8:40 p.m., three employees were inspecting milling machines for startup. A few of the sleeves on the mill drum needed to be changed out. The injured employee was trying to input a sleeve on the mill drum using a hammer. The hammer hit the edge of the drum, which caused a metal piece to splinter off and strike the employee's cheek just below the left eye. The metal splinter embedded in the back of their eye socket, resulting in pain, swelling, and bleeding that required hospitalization.
An employee was pushing a line of carts into a vestibule when the door cable snapped and struck his right ankle. The employee suffered a fracture that required surgery and hospitalization.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 211111)
An employee was slipping pipe when it became stuck and the pipe snapped, striking the employee in the back and ribs. The employee sustained fractured ribs.
An employee was standing on an injector head feeding chain with a rope, when the rope broke, causing him to lose his balance and fall to the ground. The employee sustained fractures to his left elbow and three ribs.
An employee was pulling drill line from the drill spool while the top drive was not set on the docking pins. The deadman was unexpectedly released which caused the top drive to fall to the drill floor from a height of 30 feet. This caused the drill line that was being pulled out and laid on the ground to retract and strike an employee. The employee suffered fractures to his legs and neck.
An employee was conducting maintenance on a pipe and was using a T-bar tool to secure the retainer cap on a pump. The employee's left index finger was caught in the rotating pump, resulting in a partial amputation.
After cutting a slab of beef short ribs, an employee turned to grab the pieces he had cut and his right hand contacted the saw blade. The employee sustained an amputation to his right index finger.
An employee was unloading a carpet pad from a truck when they fell from the truck dock to the concrete below, resulting in five fractured ribs and an injury to their left lung.
An employee was walking up a walkway to enter a building through the back entrance when she tripped over the lip of the cement ramp. The employee fell and sustained a fractured right hip.