Proforma Safety Blog

Safety Alert for Spring Return Valves

Posted by proforma on April 6, 2010  |  No Comments

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has just issued a safety alert for spring return valves used in offshore oil operations. Recently, a pipeline emergency shut down valve (ESDV) failed, leaving the primary platform isolation device inoperable with the valve in the open position.
Other ESDVs have been found to be at risk for similar failures, as are spring return valves other than ESDVs.

Managing Rig Brake Systems

Posted by proforma on March 30, 2010  |  No Comments

In this instance, an oilfield driller didn’t know the correct valve position for water supplied to the auxiliary hydromatic brake. Unfortunately, the valve wasn’t labeled to indicate open or close positions, either. So after accidentally shutting off the water supply to the auxiliary hydromatic brake, he found the drawworks brakes were overheating; the blocks and the elevators struck the rotary table, bending the joint of pipe in the elevators.

Take Time to Investigate Odors

Posted by proforma on January 12, 2010  |  No Comments

Here’s a situation where alarm bells should have sounded at the first sniff. Operations personnel at an offshore Gulf of Mexico location occasionally smelled a gas/condensate odor in the motor control center (MCC) building but did not investigate the source of the odor. Subsequently a fire occurred inside one of the air conditioner evaporator enclosures located on top of the building. Minerals Management Service (MMS) investigated and found that gas had migrated through the AC evaporator enclosure’s drain line and accumulated inside the AC evaporator. Read MMS’s recommendations here.

Never Turn Your Back On the Job

Posted by proforma on December 7, 2009  |  No Comments

A roustabout had his arm broken when a drill collar struck him from behind. See this Safety Alert for details.

Of particular interest to us — in addition to the safety risks inherent in the procedure that went awry — is that the JSAs were not written in the two primary languages spoken at the well site. An important reminder for us to make sure everyone understands the hazards of the job.

Lifeboat Drill Goes Awry; One Crew Member Killed

Posted by proforma on August 31, 2009  |  No Comments

A fatality occured recently on a Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit (MODU) during a planned lifeboat drill.

The MODU was conducting routine testing of its lifeboats and equipment as required by regulation and launched its starboard lifeboat with a crew of seven. During recover of the lifeboat at the end of the drill, the aft hook opened, the boat swung onto its forward hook, which then failed, plunging the lifeboat and its occupants 65 feet into the sea. One crew member died and the remaining six sustained injuries.

Among the causes, it was determined that critical components of the system had deteriorated with age and use and the On-Load release system was not fully understood. For details, read the IADC report.

Welder Electrocuted by Damaged Cord

Posted by proforma on May 21, 2009  |  No Comments

A 220-volt floodlight caused the death of a welder when its cord became pinched between the fixture and a mounting bracket. Tragically, the light had been determined to be inappropriate for the job and set aside, but not disconnected.

The location: a bilge pump room in the column of a semi submersible. Conditions were hot, 97 degrees, and the welder’s coveralls were soaked with perspiration. A Permit To Work (PTW) and Job Safety Analysis (JSA) had been completed, but reports are the PTW didn’t capture all the elements (confined space, ventilation, electrical hazard, etc.) The JSA was not specific to the job.

Among the corrective actions taken was a “hazard hunt” of the rig fleet focused on portable lights, power tools and electric cords. Rig supervisors were not only urged to enforce STOP(TM), but one STOP card per person per day on board was mandated.

Further details on steps taken to prevent repeat of the incident are detailed here on the International Association of Drilling Contractors site.

Welder Killed When Pan Dropped Out

Posted by proforma on April 20, 2009  |  No Comments

On a drilling rig, a casing crew was rigging up as welders worked on the pollution pan. Suddenly the pan dropped, falling 50 feet and killing one welder. A tragic combination of mistakes contributed to this fatality. A synopsis is available on the MMS website, and a full account here.