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.

Standardized, Fleet-wide Hand Signals Help Avoid Miscommunication

Posted by proforma on April 6, 2010  |  No Comments

Here’s another instance where miscommunication resulted in a dangerous workplace situation: A floorman signals a crewman using hand signals different from what the crewman was accustomed to. Instead of opening the valves to fill the trip tank, the crewman disengaged the auxiliary brake handle; the drawworks brakes overheated,  the driller could not stop the blocks, which then ran into the top drive rail stops. Among the causes cited were the lack of standardized hand signals and understanding of the rig operation and systems.

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.

Sea Swells Cause Swinging Crane Ball Incidents

Posted by proforma on February 8, 2010  |  No Comments

Two incidents reported in January involved sea swell action on offshore platforms. In one instance, as the crane operator lowered a crane block to the deck, a large swell hit the vessel. The swinging block collided with an empty product reel, an AC unit and the walkway of another crane. 

The second incident also involved a swinging crane ball; this time colliding with the frame of the personnel lifting device.

Details available on the National Offshore Petroleum Safety Authority (NOPSA) web site.

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.

Loose Drilling Line Kills Worker

Posted by proforma on June 29, 2009  |  No Comments

While tripping to the bottom with the drill string, the drilling crew met with an obstruction and came to a stop, which triggered the drawworks drum to spool off excess drill line. When the drum brakes were applied and the spool off stopped, the crew decided to spool the line back onto the drum.
One worker, unfortunately, then apparently moved to the area between the derrick and the drawworks. The drill string broke free as it fell through the bridge, the line whipped up towards the drawworks and struck the worker. The worker died from his injuries.
Obviously the worker should not have been in that position; the review of this incident details the mistakes made that resulted in this wholly avoidable fatality.