Reference no: EM131392519

According to an OSHA director of field programs, a driller was in the process of raising the traveling block and the attached kelly and swivel assembly when an oil drilling rig accident occurred. During an oil drilling operation, an air-chugger winch cable was attached to the kelly pipe as a tag line to prevent it from swinging. Two of the rig hands were monitoring the kelly pipe as it was pulled out of the rat hole. The chain hand picked up the spinning chain and positioned himself near the drawworks drum as he waited for the kelly to be positioned over the hole. When he tossed the end of the spinning chain over his shoulder it became entangled in the fast line cable as the cable was spooled onto the drum. The spinning chain wrapped around the worker's wrist and pulled him into the drum as the chain's slack was drawn up. The spinning chain also struck the worker in the groin area and fractured his leg and severed his femoral artery. The driller stopped the drawworks before the worker was completely pulled into the drum encasement, but the worker was seriously injured. His leg was amputated and injuries to his hand resulted in a permanent disability. The drawworks drum was equipped with metal casing that enclosed the drum on the lower front, top, and sides. However, there was an opening of approximately to allow the fast line adequate clearances to spool back and forth onto the drum that has no barrier guard. (See Figure P1.15D.) Apparently, the drawworks drums used on oil well drilling sites were designed and constructed as described above without any barrier guard to protect workers in close proximity to the drawworks drum from the hazard of the ingoing nip point between the moving fast line and the drum. Search the OSHA regulations https://www.osha.gov and specifically review the regulation 29 CFR 1910.212(a)(1), General requirement for all machines. Write a paragraph explaining how this section would apply to the drum. Also, suggest a guard (design) that could have prevented this accident.