Exposure to electric arc · Electrical burns any degree
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Helmerich & Payne Drilling, Inc., Rig 625, MENTONE, TEXAS 79754
on — Electrical burns any degree , affecting the Hand(s) and arm(s) n.e.c..
Final narrative
An employee was working on the rig floor when an electrical wire was plugged into an outlet and an arc flash (600V) occurred. The employee sustained burns to his left forearm, thumb, and index finger.
Hospitalized Hand(s) and arm(s) n.e.c. Power cords, electrical cords, extension cords
More severe injuries at Helmerich & Payne Drilling, Inc.
While bringing a torque tube and grabber box in to close the grabber door, an employee went to shift the torque tube with his right hand. When he reached up with his left hand, the grabber box slid down and partially amputated his left thumb.
An employee was working to straighten up a lifting sub for a reamer while it was inside the automated floor wrench. The spinner doors closed, catching the employee's right forearm. The employee sustained a fractured right radius and a displaced fracture of the right ulna. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.
An employee was stowing a machine when his right arm was caught between the machine and the derrick leg, resulting in a displaced radial fracture and a hairline ulnar fracture.
An employee was picking up a trip nipple with a hoist when the hoist became hung on top of a drive. The employee used the left hand to free the hoist. Once the hoist was freed, the trip nipple sprung up and caught the employee's left hand between the nipple and the elevator, breaking it.
An employee was removing a 4" valve with a flange. As he was removing the valve, his right pinky finger was caught between the flange of the valve and the pad-I, amputating it at the first joint.
An employee was terminating cables in a junction box. A loose ground wire came into contact with the bushing, causing a flash that burned the right side of the employee's face and his right hand.
An employee was using a bucket truck hoist to raise secondary aerial wiring. The wire made contact with the primary wire, causing an arc flash. The employee suffered burns to both hands and was hospitalized.
A temporary employee was testing an electrical starter motor. He was placing tape on the starter while the breaker was not engaged, but the starter sent an arc flash that burned his hands and stomach.
Two employees were removing a circuit breaker. The injured employee was using wrenches in the removal process. One of the wrenches contacted an adjacent door, resulting in an arc flash. The employee suffered burns to their neck, face, and ear, as well as momentary vision loss due to the flash.
An employee was stepping down off a 6-inch containment platform to finish loading his truck, when his right ankle rolled. The employee sustained a fractured tibia and fibula at the right ankle and required surgery.
A service crew was pulling a pump and motor from a well. After breaking a joint of pipe loose from another joint, an employee grabbed the chain tongs to prevent the pipe from spinning in the well, so the crew could continue taking it apart. The bolt that attaches the chain to the handle of the chain tongs broke, causing the chain to swing around and strike the employee's lower right leg. The chain severely punctured his leg and fractured his tibia.
An employee arrived on location and loaded a blow-out-preventer (BOP) on a 1-ton flatbed truck. While standing on the flatbed securing the the BOP, the employee stepped into a void/hole on the flatbed surface. This caused him to lose balance and fall off the truck bed with his leg still caught in the hole. As a result, he sustained fractures to his left leg.
An employee was rigging up a location. He was using an Allen wrench to free up rotation and start the drawworks engine manually. The engine rotated and his left little finger became caught between the Allen wrench and the engine. The employee sustained an amputation to his little finger and fractures to his wrist.
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.